The ESV Study Bible

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:1–33:26 Restoration for Judah and Israel. The book now turns to positive themes. At last Jeremiah may “build and plant” (1:10). He claims that God will restore the nation (ch. 30), make a new covenant with Israel (ch. 31), bring Israel back to the Promised Land (ch. 32), and honor the Davidic covenant (ch. 33).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:1–24 God Will Restore the Nation. This chapter serves as an introduction to this section (chs. 30–33). Jeremiah emphasizes hope (30:1–11), healing (vv. 12–17), and rebuilding (vv. 18–24).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:2 Write in a book. See 25:13; 36:2. This would preserve the words for future generations. all the words. See 30:4ff.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:3 days are coming. Seventy years in the future (25:12). I will bring them back. After the exiles seek God with all their heart (27:22; 29:10–14).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:4 These promises of hope include the long-defeated Israel, not just Judah. The whole nation will be united again.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:5–6 God announces a time of terror. Israel’s men (perhaps “soldiers”) writhe in pain and anguish like a woman in labor, due to the extreme situation (4:31; 6:24; 22:23).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:7 That day. The day of the Lord, the day of judgment (Isa. 2:6–22; Amos 5:18–20; etc.; see also The Day of the Lord in the Prophets). time of distress for Jacob. Israel will suffer. yet he shall be saved out of it. The day of judgment will remove Israel’s foes.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:8 yoke. See 2:20; 5:5; 27:8–12; 28:1–17. burst your bonds. See 2:20; 5:5. foreigners. Such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. servant. As Israel was in pre-exodus days (Ex. 2:23–25; 5:10–23).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:9 The people will respond to the deliverance by serving God and the Davidic king (23:1–8). For David as the name of the Davidic king (and ultimately the Messiah), see Ezek. 34:23–24; 37:24–25; Hos. 3:5. This service will be a complete reversal of their previous disobedience.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:10 fear not. Because God will act on the nation’s behalf. Jacob my servant. See note on Isa. 42:1–9. Jacob shall return. The exile will end when the people return home.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:11 I am with you to save you. For God to be “with” someone is for him to give his help for that person to carry out his calling (1:8, 19; 15:20; 20:11; 42:11; 46:28; see Gen. 39:2–3). make a full end. Completely destroy (Jer. 46:28).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:14 lovers. Former allies and their gods (3:1–2; 4:30; 22:20–23; Lam. 1:2, 19). the blow of an enemy. God turned from fighting for Israel (Ex. 15:1–18) to fighting against Israel (Jer. 11:14–17; 15:1–9; 27:8). guilt is great. Israel sought other gods in violation of their covenant with God.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:15 pain is incurable. Israel’s defeat and resulting loss are terrible (see note on 17:9). Because your guilt is great. Covenant infidelity has caused devastation (6:1–15; 15:1–9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:18 Every possible level of society will be renewed, from clans living in tents, to city dwellers living in towns built on a mound of rubble, to royalty living in a restored palace.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:19 Singing will replace sorrow, growth will replace decimation, and honor will replace shame.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:20 congregation. The community gathered by God for instruction, worship, or judicial decision making (Ex. 12:3; 35:1; 1 Kings 8:5). established before me. Regain God’s favor.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:21 Israel’s ruler will no longer be a foreigner, as during the exile, but will be one of themselves. He will be able, once again, to draw near to God as Israel’s representative.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:23 storm of the LORD. A metaphor for the day of God’s judgment (cf. 23:19–20; 25:32) that will fall upon … the wicked.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 30:24 God’s intentions include removing the wicked in Israel (v. 23), displacing Israel’s enemies, and establishing Israel’s king (v. 21). Israel will be God’s people again, yet only in the latter days, that is, sometime in the unspecified future.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:1–40 God Will Make a New Covenant with Israel. This chapter includes the most famous passage in Jeremiah, the promise of a new covenant (vv. 31–40). Leading up to that passage, God promises Israel that they will be his people (vv. 1–14), he will have mercy on weary Israel (vv. 15–26), and he will make Israel secure (vv. 27–30).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:1 At that time. In the latter days (30:24), God will reunite Israel with Judah under his covenantal leadership. my people. See note on 30:22.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:2 Israel’s exile experience mirrors the exodus era. In both, those who escaped death found grace and rest in the desert. After exile, Israel will again follow God (2:1–3).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:3 You is feminine singular, referring to the whole people (cf. v. 4). everlasting love. God’s love was always based on grace (Deut. 7:6–11), and even the involvement of the majority in Israel’s rejection of that love cannot cause this covenantal, relational love to cease (Hos. 1:10–11; 2:14–23; 11:1–9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:4 virgin Israel. The northern kingdom (vv. 5–6). dance of the merrymakers. Women who celebrated military victories (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6) and participated in religious ceremonies (Lam. 1:4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:5–6 Samaria (both a city and region in Israel) and Ephraim (both a tribe and a representative name for Israel) will plant vineyards again. More importantly, they will go up to Zion to worship the LORD again (contrast 1 Kings 12:26–33).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:7 The dancers in v. 4 will raise shouts of joy for Israel’s restoration. remnant of Israel. A term that can denote survivors of a catastrophe (8:3), faithful ones in Judah and Israel (Isa. 4:2), and faithful ones in all nations (Isa. 11:11). The second option applies here. Some Israelites will serve God (cf. Hos. 3:5).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:8 gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. Where Israel was driven over time after Samaria fell in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17:18; Isa. 7:8). the blind and the lame. Physical infirmity will not keep the remnant from returning.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:9 God will provide for all their needs as the exiles return. father to Israel. See Ex. 4:22–23; Hos. 11:1–9.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:10 God, Israel’s great shepherd (Isa. 40:11), will gather and keep (guard) his sheep.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:11 Ransomed suggests financial payment for a debt (Hos. 13:14). Redeemed implies a family member acting on behalf of a relative to remove from trouble, pay a debt, or avenge a wrong (e.g., Ruth 4:1). See also Deut. 9:26; 13:5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:12 See Isa. 35:10; 51:10–11. The people shall flourish as they eat food and enjoy the prosperity that God provides.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:13 When God restores Israel’s lives he will also restore its joy. God will comfort them. See Isa. 40:1.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:14 abundance. Literally “fatness,” which probably refers to the portions of sacrificial meats set aside for the priests (Lev. 7:31–36).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:15 Ramah. 5 miles (8 km) north of Jerusalem and on the route to exile (40:1). Rachel. Jacob’s second, yet favorite, wife (Gen. 29:30), the mother of Joseph, who was father of Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 30:22–24; 41:50–52). Rachel was buried near Bethlehem (Gen. 35:19–20). The focus in Jeremiah is on the grief of the exile, as if it touched Rachel herself. Matthew 2:18 applies this verse to Herod killing the innocent children in an attempt to kill Jesus. Thus, by Jesus’ time the phrase had become proverbial for the mistreatment of Jewish children.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:16–17 God promises that Rachel’s children will return from exile.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:19 Ephraim explains his path back to God. struck my thigh. A physical act of remorse (Ezek. 21:12). disgrace of my youth. Past shameful actions against God (Jer. 2:2–5; 3:24–25; etc.).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:20 Despite all God has had to do to discipline Ephraim, he never stopped loving his darling child.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:21 Israel should mark the way they went out (to exile), for they will return on the same road.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:22 How long will you waver, i.e., how long will you wait to fulfill the prophecy of v. 6? faithless daughter. What Ephraim has been in the past. a new thing. A new beginning (Isa. 43:19; 48:7). a woman encircles a man. A proverbial phrase, the meaning of which may well be lost. Several interpretations have been proposed. (1) It most likely means “the weak will overcome the strong,” so that Israel’s return will be the weak (i.e., Israel, whose soldiers had become like women; Jer. 30:6) overcoming the strong (its captors) through God’s power. (2) “Encircles” may mean “embraces, clings to” and speaks metaphorically of the relationship between Israel (“a woman”) and God (“a man”). (3) Israel’s soldiers may so decisively defeat the enemy that on their return they would be surrounded by women without fear of attack from outside. (4) Ancient commentators saw a prediction of the birth of Christ, since he was “encircled” by Mary’s womb until he was born, but most modern interpreters conclude that this goes beyond the intent of the passage.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:23–25 Jeremiah addresses Judah, who will soon join Israel in exile. God will restore Judah and its rejoicing, just as he will Israel’s (vv. 2–7).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:26 At this I awoke may indicate that vv. 3–25 were a vision.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:27–40 These verses, describing the new covenant, can be divided into three subsections, each introduced with “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD” (vv. 27, 31, 38). The days that are coming will involve the return from exile and repopulation of Jerusalem (vv. 27, 38–40) but will also extend into the unspecified future. Here Jeremiah (see also 32:36–44; 50:5) expresses a theme similar to that of Isaiah 40–66 and Ezek. 11:14–21; 16:60–63; 34:25; 36:22–32; 37:26; namely, that the return from exile will also mean a renewal of the covenant for Judah, with the expectation that the nation will get it right this time. The experience of the postexilic community is seen as a down payment on the promises; the time when “they shall all know me” (Jer. 31:34) looks forward to the consummation of all things.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:27 God will plant (cf. 1:10) Israel and Judah in the land again and sow people and animals everywhere.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:28 At that time God will be as determined to plant and build as he was to tear down and destroy (cf. 1:10).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:29–30 sour grapes … teeth are set on edge. This proverb was apparently common (cf. Lam. 5:7; Ezek. 18:2); the negation of the proverb (they shall no longer say) means that no one will suffer for the sins of others, for national rebellion against God will cease. The remnant will become the majority.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:31–34 God will finally remedy the long-standing problem of his people, namely, that they are circumcised in body but so few are circumcised in heart (i.e., truly know the LORD). The benefits that God will provide—knowledge of the Lord and forgiveness—were all offered in the OT but all-too-rarely appropriated. Two major interpretative issues for the Christian reader are: (1) What does the author of Hebrews mean by connecting this prophecy concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31) with the Messiah (Heb. 8:8–12)? (2) Do the terms in Jer. 31:27, 31, 36–37 focus the prophecy on ethnic Israel or on a redefined Israel (the Jewish-Gentile church)? The second question is much like the one faced in interpreting “all Israel” in Rom. 11:26.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:31 The new covenant will provide a fresh start for Israel and Judah, the recipients of both the old and now the new covenant (though many interpret the new covenant as beginning entirely with Jews but going on to include Gentiles; see note on vv. 31–34). This is the only OT passage to speak of a new covenant; for NT uses of the phrase, see Luke 22:20; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 8:8–12.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:32 This new covenant will be different in that it will not be broken, as Israel and Judah broke the first one despite God’s faithfulness as a good husband.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:33 Rather than writing the law on tablets and scrolls (see Ex. 34:1; Deut. 31:9–13) and asking the people to internalize it (Deut. 6:4–9), God will write it on their hearts from the start. He will be the God of this new covenant, just as he was for the old covenant partners who loved him. In Rom. 11:27, Paul takes the words “this will be my covenant with them” from this verse.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:34 There will be no need for a faithful remnant within the covenant people to teach the unfaithful majority to know God, for all covenant partners will know him. This covenant will include only those who know him, and he will remember their sin no more.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:35–36 God gives a fixed order to the natural creation, and it is just as impossible for the new covenant (vv. 31–34) to cease as it is for the natural order to cease.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:37 The full extent of creation is unfathomable, and it is equally unfathomable that God would cast off the Israel of this new covenant.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 31:38–40 Jerusalem will soon be destroyed, yet God will eventually rebuild it. When it is totally sacred to the Lord (Zech. 14:20–21), it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever. At that time it will be Zion, the new Jerusalem, the city where God lives with his people in the permanent absence of sin (Isa. 4:2–6; 25:6–12; 65:17–25).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:1–44 God Will Bring Israel Back to the Promised Land. This chapter revolves around God’s commanding of Jeremiah to purchase land in Judah even though exile from the land is imminent. This seemingly irrational command (vv. 1–15) leads to Jeremiah questioning God and receiving a firm response (vv. 16–35) and to God’s pledge to bring the exiles home (vv. 36–44).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:2–5 Babylon was besieging Jerusalem. This siege lasted about a year (see 39:1; 52:4). Jeremiah was imprisoned by Zedekiah (37:11–21) for prophesying that Babylon would take the city (21:1–10; 34:1–5; 37:6–10).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:6–7 Hanamel … will come to you. God revealed what would occur. right of redemption. See Lev. 25:25–32. When property was sold due to financial problems, a next of kin would buy it back so that it could stay in the family. The person who bought it back was called a “kinsman-redeemer” (cf. “redeemer,” Ruth 4:1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:8 Hanamel … came to me. What God said would happen (v. 7) did in fact occur. Anathoth … land of Benjamin. See 1:1–3.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:9 Because of God’s word, Jeremiah buys the field, despite the impending Babylonian invasion. seventeen shekels. About seven ounces. The size and actual value of the field are unknown.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:10 Signed (lit., “wrote”) may indicate that Jeremiah dictated the deed (36:1–32). sealed. He pressed his signature stamp into wax that covered the document’s folds or rolls. Witnesses probably signed the outside of the document.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:11 sealed deed … open copy. Scribes wrote two copies of the transaction; they rolled up and sealed the first copy, leaving the second open for viewing.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:12 Baruch was Jeremiah’s disciple and scribe (36:4; 45:1–5). The name means “blessed.”

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:13–14 Jeremiah had Baruch place the precious document in an earthenware storage vessel for safekeeping. Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were stored in such jars.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:15 Now the point of this symbolic act (cf. 13:1–14; 16:1–13; 18:1–11; 19:1–15; 27:1–28:17) is revealed: God will return the people to the land, and fields will be bought and sold again.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:17 Jeremiah’s prayer begins by confessing that God is the all-powerful Creator (made the heavens), for whom nothing is too hard (cf. Gen. 18:14). This supports the doctrine of God’s omnipotence: God has infinite power and can do all that he wills to do. However, it does not mean that God can do anything, for he cannot act contrary to his own character (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:18 steadfast love to thousands. Covenant love to countless generations. See Ex. 34:6–7; Joel 2:12–14; Jonah 4:2. repay the guilt. In many cases, both fathers and children have sinned in the same ways, so both suffer the consequences of their actions. See Ex. 20:5–6; Jer. 3:25; 7:26; 13:14; 14:20; 31:29. One of the most horrible aspects of sin, however, is that it often harms other people, especially those closest to the person committing the sin. hosts. Armies that God commands for purposes of judgment.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:19 great in counsel. Wise and rich in revelation. mighty in deed. Able to act as well as think and talk. eyes are open. God sees all the ways of the children of man. rewarding each one. Giving justly to each according to his sense of justice (cf. 17:10; Ps. 62:12; Matt. 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:9–10; 1 Pet. 1:17).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:20–23 God has revealed the characteristics noted in vv. 17–19 by his great acts, such as sending the plagues in Egypt, leading Israel in the exodus, giving Israel the Promised Land, and bearing with Israel until he sent Babylon to Jerusalem.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:20 signs and wonders. Miracles (see notes on Mark 13:22; Acts 3:16; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Thess. 2:9–10). and to this day. Such miraculous evidences of God’s presence and care for his people were not limited to the generation of the exodus, for from the exodus until the time of Jeremiah, God had continued to work miracles among his people, for the glory of his name.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:24 siege mounds. Ramps built near city walls so that battering rams could strike. sword and famine and pestilence. See 14:1–12; 15:1–4. What you spoke has come to pass. All of God’s threats, beginning with 1:9–16, were fulfilled.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:25 Given the inevitable Babylonian victory, Jeremiah wonders why God has directed him to buy land now.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:26–27 God confirms Jeremiah’s confession (v. 17); he is the Creator of all flesh, and nothing is too hard for him to accomplish.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:28–29 Because God is all-powerful, he will give Jerusalem to Babylon, who will burn it and all its idols (21:1–10; 27:1–15; 29:1–32).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:31–32 Even Jerusalem has aroused God’s anger and wrath, for the entire populace has broken the covenant (cf. 1:17–19; 2:8, 26; 8:1–3; 13:13–14; 23:9–20).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:33 turned … their back. An act of defiance (cf. 7:24). I have taught them. Through Moses, David, Solomon, and the prophets (7:13, 25–26). not listened to receive instruction. The root of foolish behavior (Prov. 1:7).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:35 high places … sons … daughters. See 7:31.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:38 they shall be my people. See 24:7; 30:22; 31:33.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:39 one heart. United together to serve God (2 Chron. 30:12; Ps. 86:11; Ezek. 11:19; cf. Deut. 6:4–9; Jer. 4:4). one way. One way of life that is based on reverence (fear) for God. their own good. Rather than to their own harm (25:7). the good of their children. Rather than teaching their children to follow in their wicked ways (7:31; 31:29–30).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:40–41 everlasting covenant. See Isa. 55:3; 61:8; Ezek. 16:60; 37:26; cf. Jer. 31:31–40. God’s covenant will not cease because he will do good to them, place fear of him in their hearts, and plant them in this land. God will make every provision for the keeping of the covenant. I will rejoice in doing them good. God keeps his promises, not grudgingly but with great delight.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:42 God will be as thorough in doing good for his faithful ones as he was in punishing his unfaithful ones.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:43 Jeremiah rightly preached the coming desolation of Judah, but this situation will not be permanent.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 32:44 Just as Jeremiah has purchased land (vv. 1–15), so will others do the same in future times. God will restore Jeremiah’s tribe (Benjamin), place of ministry (Jerusalem), and native towns (cities of Judah). Beyond these areas, places in the hill country northward, Shephelah (central Israel), and Negeb (southern Israel) will also be restored.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:1–26 God Will Honor the Davidic Covenant. God always keeps his promises, and here he promises to direct the future (vv. 1–5), heal the land (vv. 6–13), and fulfill the Davidic covenant (vv. 14–26).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:1 second time … in the court of the guard. See 32:1–2.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:2 God the Creator (10:16; 32:17), who formed and established the earth, makes the promises that follow. His word was as powerful in Jeremiah’s time as in Gen. 1:1–2:3. His promises cannot fail; they are as firm as the earth.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:3 Call. See 29:12. I will answer. Because of his love and grace. hidden things. Future things that God will now reveal. You is singular, addressed specifically to Jeremiah, but this great promise also has wider application to all the people of God, particularly as they call out for understanding and he gives them understanding of his word and his purposes in their lives.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:4 Cities under siege often tore down buildings, using the stones and wood to reinforce the city walls against battering rams that attackers carried up siege mounds.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:5 God reveals that all current efforts to repel Babylon will fail. Because of its evil deeds, God will fill Jerusalem with dead bodies. He has declared the future.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:6–8 God promises health and healing for Jerusalem’s “wounds”—its devastation, disgrace, and sin (30:16–17; see 33:7–8)—but first he will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:9 Jerusalem was once a cautionary tale for other nations (cf. 15:4; 24:9; 29:18), but in the future it will be a testimony to God’s goodness.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:10–11 voice of gladness. Jeremiah correctly prophesied that joy would cease when Jerusalem was made desolate (7:34; 16:9; 25:10). But now he prophesies that joy will be restored, with worship being the most important joy (30:19; Ps. 107:22; 136:1–26).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:12–13 See 32:14–15. Raising sheep was a major part of the ancient Near Eastern economy. The return of shepherds and flocks signifies renewed prosperity.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:16 The Messiah’s coming will mean salvation for Judah and Jerusalem. The city will be so changed that it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness,” the name given to the Messiah in 23:6.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:18 The Messiah’s coming will also mean that the covenant with Levi (Mal. 2:1–9) will be kept. The Messiah will be both king (2 Sam. 7:16) and priest (Ps. 110:4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:19–21 See 31:35–37. Like the new covenant, God’s covenant with David and Levi will endure forever. This does not contradict the NT teaching about a new covenant (31:31), for Christ fulfills the promise that one of David’s descendants will always reign over the house of Israel.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:22 Like Abraham’s descendants, the offspring of David will be innumerable (Gen. 15:1–6), for believers in the Messiah will be innumerable. They will share the Messiah’s inheritance (Rom. 8:17). They will also serve as God’s priests (Ex. 19:5–6; Isa. 66:21; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). my servant. Like Moses (Num. 12:7), David was God’s servant in that he was God’s undershepherd for Israel, God’s means of writing revelation, and God’s close friend. The Messiah was to be the greatest servant (see note on Isa. 42:1–9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:24 these people. The nations who observe what has happened to Israel and Judah. These observers think God has despised and rejected the two clans that he chose (i.e., Israel and Judah).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 33:25–26 Once again (cf. 31:35–37; 33:19–22) God asserts that Judah and Israel’s renewal and permanent relationship with him are as secure as the natural order. God will keep his promises no matter what.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:1–45:5 God Judges Judah. Having declared Judah and Israel’s current sins (chs. 2–29) and future renewal (chs. 30–33), Jeremiah now depicts Judah’s final days. He does so while declaring God’s faithfulness and Judah’s infidelity (chs. 34–35), Judah’s rejection of God’s word (ch. 36), Judah’s last days before Jerusalem’s destruction (chs. 37–39), Judah’s futile rebellion against Babylon after the city’s fall (chs. 40–41), and Judah’s futile rebellion against God (chs. 42–45).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:1–35:19 God’s Faithfulness and Judah’s Infidelity. While God remains faithful to his word (34:1–17), the people of Judah act unfaithfully toward one another (34:18–22) and God (ch. 35).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:1 This message came when Babylon’s invasion was in full force (c. 587 B.C.).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:3–5 Zedekiah will lose the battle and his freedom. He will go to Babylon with many of his people (21:7). Second Kings 25:6–7 records the fulfillment: after Zedekiah meets the king of Babylon eye to eye (in Riblah), his sons are slain and his eyes are put out, and then he is led off to Babylon. Nonetheless, God will allow Zedekiah to die in peace, for he is David’s descendant (cf. Jer. 52:11).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:6–7 With only weeks remaining before Jerusalem’s fall, Jeremiah spoke to Zedekiah again. Lachish is 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Jerusalem. Azekah is 11 miles (18 km) north of Lachish and 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Jerusalem; originally fortified under Rehoboam (2 Chron. 11:5), it was one of the last towns to fall to Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. The Lachish Letters (21 letters from this era found by archaeologists) describe the circumstances of the city’s demise. the only fortified cities … that remained. All other walled, armed cities with commanding views had been taken.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:8–11 When Jerusalem feared that defeat was imminent, the people freed all Hebrew slaves, or bondservants, so they could fight. but afterward. When the threat eased, however, they rescinded the freedom.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:13 covenant with your fathers. The Mosaic covenant, which was based on God freeing Israel from the house of slavery (see Ex. 20:2).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:14 Israelites could become indentured servants of one another for a period of six years, but then were to be set free (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12). Historically many in Israel rejected this teaching, finding ways to keep persons enslaved.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:15 repented. Of not obeying God’s word on indentured persons. made a covenant. Performed a solemn covenant ceremony in the temple, setting the servants free.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:16 turned around. Repented of repenting. profaned my name. Invoked in the ceremony. took back. Enslaved again those set free according to God’s word.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:17 Because the servants have not been set free, God sets the nation “free” to be consumed by sword, pestilence, and famine. See 14:1–12; 15:1–4; 29:17–18; 32:24.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:18–20 make them like the calf. Put the covenant breakers to death by the sword. passed between its parts. Covenant-ratification ceremonies (vv. 16–17) often included cutting a sacrifice in two and having the parties walk between the halves of the sacrifice (Gen. 15:7–17). Presumably the cutting of the sacrifice would warn the parties of the consequences of breaking the covenant. All the people of Judah and their leaders have broken the covenant and must suffer the consequences of their actions.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 34:22 bring them back. Babylon had lifted its siege of Jerusalem for some unspecified reason, which probably motivated the revocation of the servants’ freedom (v. 11). This time was only a reprieve before destruction.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:1 days of Jehoiakim. King 609–598 B.C. See Dates of Events in Jeremiah. These events are not sequential to ch. 34, which took place in 587 B.C. (see note on 34:1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:2 Rechabites. Nomadic tribe that originated with the Kenites (Judg. 4:11; 1 Sam. 15:6; 1 Chron. 2:55) and was associated with Jehu’s purge in 842 B.C. (2 Kings 10:15–17). The chambers of the house of the LORD were used for storage or for living quarters (cf. 1 Kings 6:5; Neh. 13:4–9). offer them wine. Normally associated with hospitality.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:3–4 Jeremiah took the Rechabites to the living quarters of Igdaliah. man of God. Synonym for “prophet” (1 Sam. 2:27; 9:6; 1 Kings 12:22; 17:24). officials. Court officials. The temple and royal palace were adjacent to one another. keeper of the threshold. The priest who managed the temple entrances and the collecting of temple taxes (2 Kings 12:9; Jer. 52:24).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:5–7 The Rechabites refuse the wine because their ancestor had bound them not to drink wine or build permanent homes (a voluntary commitment, perhaps something like a Nazirite vow; Num. 6:2–4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:8–11 The Rechabites have obeyed the voice of their ancestor. They came to Jerusalem only out of necessity when Babylon began its invasion.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:12–14 The Lord points out the stark contrast between the Rechabites, who have kept the command of Jonadab, and his people Israel, who have not listened to him.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:15–16 God sent regular reminders of his covenant with Judah through the prophets (7:23–25; 11:6, 7; 25:3–4; 29:19; 32:33), to no avail, whereas the Rechabites needed be told only once to obey their ancestor.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:17 all the disaster. See 34:22. called to them. Through Moses and the prophets (Luke 16:29–31). not answered. By believing, repenting, and obeying (Hos. 11:1–2).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 35:18–19 The Lord tells the Rechabites that, because they have obeyed their own spiritual leader (vv. 8–10), they will stand before the God of Israel. “Stand before” is a synonym for serving God in his presence, often in the temple (cf. 7:10; 15:19).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:1–32 Judah Rejects God’s Word. Judah’s rebellion against God’s word receives further elaboration. God has mercifully revealed his word (vv. 1–19), yet Jehoiakim callously rejects it (vv. 20–26). Nonetheless, God’s word stands when kingdoms fall (vv. 27–32).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:1 fourth year. Probably in 605 B.C., prior to Babylon’s forcing Judah to become its vassal (2 Kings 24:1) and also prior to Babylon taking captives from Judah (Dan. 1:1–4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:2 scroll. See 32:9–15. all the words … from the days of Josiah until today. From 627 to 605 B.C. (1:1–3).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:3 God’s merciful purpose in sending his written word was to lead Judah to repentance (35:12–15) so they could avoid the consequences of their covenant disobedience. On the wordplay with disaster and evil, see note on 1:13–14.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:4 Baruch (see 32:12–16) was Jeremiah’s friend and fellow servant of God (36:32; 45:1–5). Jeremiah dictated the words for the scroll to Baruch. A seal with the name “Berachyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe” has been found; this may be Jeremiah’s Baruch.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:5 banned from … the house of the LORD. For some unspecified reason, but perhaps for his preaching about the temple. See 7:1–8:3; 26:1–24.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:6 you are to go. Evidence of Baruch’s commitment to God and his word. day of fasting. Usually called in times of emergency (see Joel 2:15–17), perhaps on the occasion of the Babylonian invasion of 605 B.C. (Jer. 36:1). read the words. As Jeremiah’s emissary, Baruch was to make a public proclamation of God’s warning.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:7 their plea for mercy. Prayers for deliverance from Babylon as part of Judah’s day of fasting. turn from his evil way (cf. v. 3). It is vain to pray for deliverance unaccompanied by repentance (7:9–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:8–10 Baruch obeyed Jeremiah’s orders. fifth year … ninth month. December 604 B.C. a fast. See v. 6. chamber. See 35:2–4. upper court. Above the courtyards where the people gathered. New Gate. Where the officials gathered to decide cases. See 26:10. In one of the four-room domestic buildings from the seventh–sixth centuries B.C. a cache of 50 bullae (round seals, often made of clay) for sealing documents was found. One of the bullae included the seal impression of Gemaryahu (a variant spelling of Gemariah), the son of Shaphan.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:11 Micaiah the son of Gemariah. Gemariah was probably the brother of Ahikam, who defended Jeremiah in 26:24, and the uncle of Gedaliah, who guarded Jeremiah in 39:14.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:12–13 For reasons not mentioned, Micaiah was anxious for the king’s officials to know Jeremiah’s words.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:14–16 Upon hearing the words, the officials want Jehoiakim to hear them as well. fear. Probably due to their fear of God’s judgment, but possibly due to the appearance of treason.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:17–19 Once again (cf. 26:16–24) the officials show concern for preserving the lives of Jeremiah and Baruch.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:22 ninth month. See v. 9. winter house. Rooms set aside in the inner house that retained heat (it was December; cf. vv. 8–10). See Amos 3:15. fire pot. Either a portable fire pan or a fixed hearth.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:23–24 The king and his servants show no regard for God’s word. To them the scroll is merely fuel for the fire. To cut … off God’s words with a knife and burn them showed foolish, haughty disregard for a message from their omnipotent Creator and Judge.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:25 Elnathan. See 26:22–23. Gemariah. See 29:3.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:26 king’s son. Since Jehoiakim was only about 30 years old at this time (v. 1; 2 Kings 23:36), the phrase probably means a favored or special servant of the king (Jer. 36:8). the LORD hid them. Probably using human agents, as in 26:24.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:29 Jehoiakim burned the scroll because he did not believe Babylon’s invasion would succeed (7:1–15; 26:9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:30 Because of his disregard for God’s word, Jehoiakim will have no heir to succeed him and will not receive a respectable burial (22:18–19). This judgment is fulfilled in 37:1.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:31 would not hear. Would not obey (cf. Deut. 6:4–9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 36:32 Jeremiah obeys God’s command to make a second papyrus scroll (vv. 27–28). many similar words. Jeremiah expanded his messages, but the manner in which he did so is unstated.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:1–39:18 Jerusalem’s Last Days. At last Jerusalem falls (39:1–10). Prior to this event, Jeremiah warns Zedekiah of self-deception (37:1–10), Zedekiah imprisons Jeremiah (37:11–21), Ebed-melech frees Jeremiah (38:1–16), and Jeremiah counsels Zedekiah to surrender (38:17–18). After Jerusalem falls (39:1–10), God delivers Jeremiah and Ebed-melech (39:11–18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:1 Zedekiah. Reigned c. 597–586 B.C. Coniah. Another name for Jehoiachin, who reigned for only three months in 598–597 B.C. (2 Kings 24:8–9); also called Jeconiah (Jer. 24:1). He was removed in keeping with the prophecy found in 36:30.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:2 A new regime did not mean a new attitude toward God’s words.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:5–9 Egypt marched against Babylon c. 588 B.C., drawing the Babylonians away from Jerusalem. But God’s word for Zedekiah is that Babylon will come back. Believing anything else is self-deception.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:10 God’s word is that Babylon could defeat Judah with only wounded men for soldiers, for God has decided to give Jerusalem to Babylon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:11–12 when … had withdrawn. See 37:5. land of Benjamin. Jeremiah’s home territory. See 1:1–3. The meaning of receive his portion is uncertain. It may relate to the field he had purchased (32:1–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:13 The Benjamin Gate opened to the north toward the land of Benjamin. sentry. Literally, “master of the guard,” thus an important officer. Irijah. Mentioned only here and in v. 14. deserting to the Chaldeans. A natural assumption, since Jeremiah had counseled surrender (21:9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:14 Despite Jeremiah’s denials and his long track record of truth-telling, Irijah detained him and brought him to the officials (26:10–24).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:15 enraged. At Jeremiah’s teaching and denial (36:29). beat him. See 20:1–2. house of Jonathan. See 37:16. Perhaps other prisons were full. Regardless, it proved a terrible place (v. 20).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:16 dungeon cells. The phrase refers to either a cell in a cistern (see note on 38:6) or a vaulted room underground. Either option indicates a damp, unhealthy place.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:17 Desperate for good news (21:1–2), Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah, only to learn that God’s word remains one of judgment.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:18–19 What wrong? Indeed Jeremiah had done no wrong, other than deliver an unpleasant truth when asked. Where are your prophets? Those who had told him lies (23:9–40; 28:1–17). Jeremiah’s words have proven true, so why should he be punished?

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:20 humble plea. Jeremiah genuinely feared for his life, so he asked for a new prison.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 37:21 court of the guard. Next to the palace (32:1–2). loaf of bread. A day’s ration in time of war, siege, and famine (14:1–12). until all the bread … was gone. Eventually Jerusalem faced great privation, if not actual starvation.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:1 Even after imprisonment, Jeremiah did not stop speaking God’s truth. Shephatiah … Gedaliah. Not mentioned elsewhere. Jucal. Another name for Jehucal. See 37:3. Pashhur. See 21:1. All these courtiers were apparently pro-Egyptian in foreign policy matters.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:2–3 This is a summary of Jeremiah’s message concerning Jerusalem for all 10 years of Zedekiah’s reign. See 27:1–15.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:4 Unlike in 26:16–24, the officials think Jeremiah should die. They believe his words undermine the war effort. Ironically, though his advice is sound, they believe it will harm the people.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:5 Forsaking his responsibility, Zedekiah gives Jeremiah to his opponents, but God has promised to protect his life (1:17–19).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:6 Unlike in 37:20–21, Jeremiah cannot avoid imprisonment in a cistern. Cisterns were dug out of rock, had a small opening, and spread out at the bottom. Escape from such a place was virtually impossible, so perhaps only notorious prisoners were put there (cf. Gen. 37:20, with esv footnote). sank in the mud. A slow, filthy way to die.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:7 Ebed-melech. Means “servant of the king.” the Ethiopian. A foreigner who most likely was forced to serve Judah’s king. eunuch. Maybe, as in Gen. 37:36, a generic term for “officer.” Ebed-melech may or may not have been a physical eunuch. Benjamin Gate. See Jer. 37:13.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:8–9 Ebed-melech shows himself superior in character to the weak Zedekiah. He recognizes the injustice Jeremiah has suffered and his life-threatening circumstances (cf. 39:16–18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:11–13 Ebed-melech continues to prove resourceful on Jeremiah’s behalf. Using old rags and worn-out clothes to cushion the ropes, he and his helpers liberate Jeremiah, once again fulfilling God’s promise of protection (cf. 1:17–19). They drew Jeremiah up out of the mud (cf. David’s words of praise in Ps. 40:2).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:14 third entrance. Unmentioned elsewhere. Perhaps the king’s private entrance. hide nothing. As if Jeremiah has been doing so! See 37:17.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:15 Jeremiah suspects that the king will not listen this time any more than he did previously. Jeremiah also dreads further punishment (cf. 32:1–2).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:16 secretly. Zedekiah’s promise had no public weight (37:17). men who seek your life. Zedekiah was well aware of the dangers Jeremiah faced (38:5).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:19–20 Zedekiah feared displeasing people in Jerusalem (vv. 4–5) and feared being turned over to Judeans who had already surrendered to Babylon. But Jeremiah promises that obedience to God’s word (27:1–15) will result in his survival.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:21–22 Refusal to obey carries dire consequences. women … being led out. To exile. trusted friends. The king’s counselors and lying prophets (37:19; 38:1–5). feet are sunk in the mud. Zedekiah’s political fortunes were sinking even as Jeremiah had been sinking in the cistern (v. 6). they turn away. When disaster comes.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:23 Without obedience to God’s word, Zedekiah, his family, and Jerusalem will all suffer terrible fates.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:24 Let no one know. Jeremiah’s future seems to lie in Zedekiah’s hands, but God has promised him protection (1:17–19).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:25–27 If the officials … say to you. Once again, Zedekiah has no control over the situation. “I made a humble plea.” Cf. 37:20. the conversation had not been overheard. The king’s secret was safe.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 38:28 court of the guard. See 37:21. the day that Jerusalem was taken. Babylon renewed the siege, as Jeremiah had promised (see 37:6–10), and eventually triumphed.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:1 ninth year … tenth month. Perhaps December 589/January 588 B.C. Babylon … came against Jerusalem. See map.

Babylon Attacks Judah

586 B.C.

The Babylonians had invaded Judah at least once before in 597 B.C., but in 586 Nebuchadnezzar completely destroyed the walls of Jerusalem and the temple as punishment for Zedekiah’s rebellion. Zedekiah himself fled Jerusalem but was caught by the Babylonians near Jericho and sent to Riblah to face judgment.

Babylon Attacks Judah

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:2 eleventh year … fourth month. Perhaps June/July 587 B.C. The siege lasted over two years. a breach. Babylon broke through the defenses and walls in the middle of the city. See v. 3.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:3 middle gate. Mentioned only here. Perhaps in the middle of the northern wall, since Babylon would likely have attacked from the north, the flattest terrain. The officials … sat in the gate, thus asserting judicial authority. Nergal-sar-ezer. Perhaps Neviglissar, who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar’s son on Babylon’s throne (c. 560–556 B.C.). Rab-saris. A chief attendant. Rab-mag. A court official.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:4 Zedekiah now learns that Jeremiah was God’s true prophet. king’s garden. Most likely on the south side of Jerusalem. Arabah. A region extending from the Jordan River Valley to the area south of the Dead Sea.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:5 In fleeing (v. 4), Zedekiah did not get far; the plains of Jericho were perhaps as few as 14 miles (23 km) east of Jerusalem. Riblah. In Syria, 65 miles (105 km) north of Damascus; Nebuchadnezzar ruled his armies and pronounced judgment on enemies here.

The Fall of Jerusalem

586 B.C.

As punishment for Zedekiah’s rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. After the Babylonians had made a breach in the wall at the middle gate, Zedekiah realized his fate was sealed if he stayed in the city, so he and his soldiers attempted to escape during the night through a gate between two walls at the southeast corner of the city. The Babylonians overtook him near Jericho, however, and he was sent to Riblah for judgment. Then Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the walls of Jerusalem and the temple and exiled many of the people to Babylon (see 52:1–34).

The Fall of Jerusalem

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:6–7 Nebuchadnezzar was harsher than what Zedekiah feared from his countrymen (38:19). He slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons and nobles, blinded him, and took him in chains to Babylon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:8 As Jeremiah had predicted (21:1–10; 27:1–15; 32:1–5; 37:1–10), Babylon sacked, burned, and destroyed Jerusalem.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:9–10 Babylon took the people who were left in the city and those who had deserted to Babylon. Not every Judean was taken, for the poorest people, who owned nothing, were given what remained in Judea.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:11–12 Apparently Nebuchadnezzar had learned of Jeremiah from those who had surrendered (see 38:19). do him no harm. God was still protecting Jeremiah (cf. 1:19).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:13–14 Nebuchadnezzar’s officials (v. 3) released Jeremiah from prison, which probably branded him as a collaborator in some Judeans’ minds. Gedaliah. A Judean who was named governor by Nebuchadnezzar. take him home. To the governor’s house. lived among the people. Those described in v. 10.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:15–16 Before Jerusalem fell, God sent a word concerning Ebed-melech, who had saved Jeremiah from the cistern (38:7–13).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:17 I will deliver you. This is the same promise that God gave Jeremiah at the outset of his ministry (1:19). on that day. God’s day of judgment on Jerusalem (39:1–10). you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. Unlike Zedekiah, who was caught by those he feared (vv. 4–7), Ebed-melech will be protected.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 39:18 Ebed-melech will have his life as a prize of war, when so many others will die. See 21:9; 45:5. put your trust in me. Ebed-melech, though a Gentile (an Ethiopian), had saving faith in God.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:1–41:18 Judah’s Futile Rebellion against Babylon. Those who remained in Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem (39:1–10) compounded their woes by rebelling against Babylon. This futile resistance was opposed to God’s will (27:1–15; 29:1–32). This segment begins with Jeremiah being freed (ch. 40), then depicts a plot against Gedaliah, Babylon’s governor of Judah (41:1–10), and the rescue of hostages taken by Gedaliah’s assassins (41:11–18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:1 Nebuzaradan. See 39:11–14. Ramah. 5 miles (8 km) north of Jerusalem. along with all the captives. By some mistake (cf. 39:11–12), Jeremiah had been taken away with the exiles.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:2–5 Nebuzaradan recognizes the truth of Jeremiah’s preaching about Jerusalem’s fall. As Nebuchadnezzar ordered (39:11–12), Nebuzaradan offered Jeremiah a choice of where to live and put him under Gedaliah’s protection.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:6 Mizpah. About 5–8 miles (8–13 km) north of Jerusalem (Judg. 20:1–3; 1 Sam. 7:12–14). lived with him. In the governor’s house (Jer. 39:14). among the people who were left. See 39:10, 14.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:7–8 Some of Judah’s army scattered and hid after fleeing the city (52:8). These men came to Gedaliah to learn how he would govern.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:9 Perhaps the soldiers wanted Gedaliah to lead a revolt. If so, they were disappointed. He gave them the same advice Jeremiah gave the exiles in 29:1–9.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:10 represent you. As a Judean trusted by Babylon. gather … store … dwell. These poorer people could now reap the harvest in their fellow citizens’ absence. cities that you have taken. Those who remained had moved into the exiles’ homes and towns.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:11–12 Many Judeans fled to neighboring countries, but returned at this point and gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance. All was going well for those who remained in Judea.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:13–14 Apparently the former soldiers (vv. 7–9) appreciated Gedaliah, for they warned him of a plot against his life involving Baalis the king of the Ammonites, and Ishmael, one of the “captains of the forces in the open country” (vv. 7–8), but he did not believe the rumors. The Ammonites opposed Babylon (27:3) and would therefore oppose Gedaliah. The archaeological record confirms the existence of “Baalis, the king of the Ammonites” in the sixth century B.C. An Ammonite seal from this time reads, “Belonging to Baalis, king of the Ammonites.” An inscription from Tel el-Umeiri in Jordan on a seal impression of a high-court official says, “Milqom servant of Baalis.”

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 40:15–16 Once again Johanan warned Gedaliah of the plot against him by Ishmael (see note on vv. 13–14), this time recommending a preemptive strike. But the magnanimous (or naive) Gedaliah could not imagine that Ishmael would be guilty of treason.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:1 seventh month. October, most likely 587 B.C., though perhaps as late as 582 (see 52:30). The Feast of Booths took place in this month, and the pilgrims mentioned in 41:4–5 may have come for that festival. Ishmael. See 40:13–16. royal family. Thus he may have harbored hopes of renewing David’s lineage to power. Mizpah. See 40:6. ate bread together. Gedaliah offered hospitality to Ishmael and his ten men.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:2 As Johanan had feared (40:13–16), Ishmael did plan to kill Gedaliah. Killing a host was considered a cowardly, heinous act. Killing the man Nebuchadnezzar had appointed governor was akin to committing suicide.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:3 Ishmael killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah, thus carrying out a political massacre.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:4–5 Others share Gedaliah’s tragedy. eighty men. Probably pilgrims for the Feast of Booths. They were from three Israelite cities: Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. Some northerners came to Jerusalem to worship even after the nations were divided in 930 B.C. beards shaved. They probably mourned the temple’s destruction. grain offerings and incense. Worship continued at the temple site after 587 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:6–8 Under the guise of offering safe passage to Gedaliah (whom he has just killed; v. 2), Ishmael slaughters 70 of the pilgrims, apparently in order to leave no witnesses of his first crime. He spares 10 because they offer precious food. He throws the dead into a cistern.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:9 This cistern was dug when Asa of Judah fought Baasha of Israel. See 1 Kings 15:16–22.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:10 Ishmael took hostages. king’s daughters. Some prominent people had been left in the land, perhaps to pacify the local populace. whom Nebuzaradan … had committed. Cf. 39:13–14. Ishmael then set out to cross over to the Ammonites, who also opposed Babylon (27:3).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:11–12 Johanan and other former soldiers (40:7–8, 13–16) pursued the treasonous Ishmael. The city of Gibeon was about 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Mizpah. Ishmael took a circuitous route, perhaps to elude capture, but he did not get far.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:13–15 Johanan rescued the hostages and killed two of Ishmael’s men, but Ishmael … escaped to Ammon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:16 soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs. Defines all the people mentioned in v. 10.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 41:17–18 Geruth Chimham. Location unknown. Bethlehem. About 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Jerusalem, so Johanan and his soldiers had traveled 10–15 miles (16–24 km). go to Egypt. The nation farthest from Babylon-controlled territory. because of the Chaldeans. Johanan and his soldiers obviously feared retaliation for Gedaliah’s murder despite their innocence in the matter.

Gedaliah Is Assassinated

586 B.C.

After depopulating Judah of all but the poorest of its inhabitants, the Babylonians set up a new governor, Gedaliah, in Mizpah. Among Gedaliah’s new officers was Ishmael, a member of the Judean royal family. King Baalis of the Ammonites incited Ishmael to assassinate Gedaliah at Mizpah, and then he slaughtered many pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria and took captives to Gibeon. Another leader named Johanan, however, overtook Ishmael at Gibeon and freed the captives, but Ishmael escaped to Ammon. Fearing what the Babylonians might do in retaliation for Gedaliah’s murder, many of the freed captives fled to Egypt.

Gedaliah Is Assassinated

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:1–45:5 Judah’s Futile Rebellion against God. The only thing more futile than rebelling against Babylon was rebelling against God. The survivors now take this foolish step. They request a word from God (42:1–6), and Jeremiah delivers it (42:7–22). They reject the word (43:1–7), so God rejects them (43:8–13). Though God despises idolatry (44:1–14), the people love it (44:15–19). Thus, God pronounces a final word on the faithless people (44:20–30), yet offers hope to Jeremiah and Baruch (ch. 45).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:1–4 Before Judah goes to Egypt, the leaders ask Jeremiah to seek God’s will. They are desperate and decimated and claim to desire the thing that they should do. As in 21:1–10 and 37:16–21, Jeremiah promises to deliver God’s word accurately.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:5–6 The people promise in most emphatic terms that they will obey God’s word no matter what it is.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:7–9 Jeremiah waits for the word (cf. 28:11–12), and when it comes he summons the people. At the end of ten days. Though Jeremiah was a faithful and true prophet of God, he could not give prophecies whenever he wanted, but had to wait for the Lord to speak to him.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:10 Jeremiah delivers a word of promise: God has ceased bringing disaster. If the people stay in Judah, God will build and plant them, which are metaphors for renewal (1:10; 24:6; 31:28).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:11 Do not fear. The retaliation that Judah’s leaders expect will not come. with you, to save you and to deliver you. God gives the people the same promise he gave Jeremiah at his call (1:19). Their lives will be as safe as Jeremiah’s has been.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:12 Nebuchadnezzar is God’s servant (27:6), so he will grant these persons mercy if God commands him to do so.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:13–17 Rejecting God’s promise and fleeing to Egypt will result in Judah experiencing what they fear. Babylon will defeat Egypt; the exiles are safer in Judah.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:18 God’s anger and wrath were warned about (4:4; 7:20; 21:5), then poured out (39:1–10). execration, horror, curse, taunt. See 15:4; 18:16; 19:8; 24:9; 29:18; 34:17. If they flee to Egypt, they will become what the Jerusalemites had been: “bad figs” (ch. 24) ripe for punishment rather than people to whom God gives hope (ch. 29).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:19–20 Jeremiah could hardly speak more plainly: to obey means life; to disobey means death.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 42:21–22 Jeremiah senses that the decision has been made. His hearers have not obeyed before, and they will not obey now.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:1 What Jeremiah delivered to the exiles were the words of the LORD their God.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:2 Azariah. Not mentioned elsewhere in Jeremiah. Johanan. See 40:13–16; 41:11–18. insolent men. As their words to Jeremiah demonstrate. a lie. They accuse Jeremiah of false prophecy.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:3 For unspecified reasons, the men accuse Baruch (32:12; 36:1–32), Jeremiah’s friend and scribe, of scheming to deliver them to the Chaldeans. Apparently they consider Jeremiah and Baruch to be pro-Babylonian.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:4–6 Johanan and company did not obey the voice of the LORD. Rather, they took to Egypt the captives they had rescued (41:11–18), along with Jeremiah and Baruch (43:6) as hostages. They even took some people who had returned from exile.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:7 Tahpanhes. Located in the eastern delta of Egypt. See 2:16.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:9–10 Jeremiah performs another symbolic act. Cf. 13:1–14; 16:1–13; 19:1–15; 27:1–28:17; 32:1–15. This time he places large stones near one of Pharaoh’s palaces and promises that God will place Nebuchadnezzar’s throne on these stones.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:11 The people will face pestilence, captivity, and sword, all of which they experienced in Jerusalem (14:1–12; 15:1–9). Their nightmare will begin afresh because their disobedience to God’s word continues.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:12 kindle a fire. See 17:27. the gods of Egypt. See 10:11. carry them away captive. Other nations’ gods were often carried away to the conqueror’s home temple. as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin. Nebuchadnezzar will pick off Egypt’s cities as easily as a shepherd picks small insects such as lice off his clothing.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 43:13 obelisks of Heliopolis. Sacred pillars in the temples of Heliopolis, about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Cairo. Jeremiah takes special pains to highlight the gods’ impotence. See 10:1–16.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:1 Migdol. Probably located near Tahpanhes in the eastern delta. Tahpanhes. See 43:7. Memphis. The major city of northern Egypt, about 13 miles (21 km) south of today’s Cairo. land of Pathros. Southern Egypt. This diversity of locations underscores that the message that follows is for all the Judeans … in the land of Egypt. Clearly many Judean refugees had fled to Egypt.

Jeremiah Prophesies against Egypt

c. 586 B.C.

Many of the leading families who had been freed from Ishmael chose to flee to Egypt to escape the Babylonians’ wrath over Gedaliah’s murder. Though Jeremiah himself warned against this course of action, he apparently was forced to accompany the refugees to Tahpanhes in Egypt, where he delivered a prophecy against Egypt and all the Judeans who had fled there. Archaeological evidence has corroborated the influx of significant populations of Judean refugees during this time as far south as Elephantine (near Syene), at the first cataract of the Nile River.

Jeremiah Prophesies against Egypt

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:2–3 God has brought all the disaster he threatened. Jerusalem has become a desolation (4:27; 6:8; 9:11; 10:22; 12:11; 22:5; 25:9; etc.). On the wordplay with “disaster” and evil, see note on 1:13–14.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:4–5 This disaster has come because the people rejected God’s servants the prophets and refused to turn from idolatry (7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:7 against yourselves. See 26:19. infant and child. These groups suffered greatly in the invasion and siege. See Lam. 2:19–20 and 4:10.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:8 Already the Judeans who have fled to Egypt (v. 1) have begun to worship the gods that their new nation serves.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:9–10 The people commit the same acts Jeremiah denounced in 7:16–20. Despite all they have endured, they continue to reject God’s word revealed through Moses (9:13–14; 26:4–6).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:11–14 Babylon will complete its role as an instrument of God’s wrath (27:1–15) against Judah’s idolatrous remnant. They will become a cautionary tale to other peoples (15:4; 18:16; 24:9; 29:18; 34:17; 42:18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:15 all the men who knew. See 7:18. The whole family participated in the idolatry. A great assembly testifies to the scope of the idolatry. Pathros. Southern Egypt; see 44:1.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:16 This assembly does not care that Jeremiah speaks for God.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:17–18 These people will continue to worship the queen of heaven, which most likely refers to Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. The whole nation (fathers, kings, officials) participated in the cult (see 7:18). For then we had plenty of food. Conveniently ignoring the conquest of the land by the Babylonians, the exiles remember their life in Israel prior to God’s judgment for their sins. But Jeremiah offers the true interpretation of their former circumstances (44:20–23).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:19 The women seem to take special exception to Jeremiah’s words (vv. 2–14), so they include their husbands in the circle of responsibility. A fertility cult may have had particular appeal to women.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:21–23 Jeremiah argues that the whole nation’s participation in idolatry led to the whole nation’s defeat. God remembered what they did and acted. voice of the LORD … his law … his statutes. They rejected the voices of the prophets and the writings of Moses.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:26 These Judeans have reversed salvation history by returning to Egypt and her gods. So, God will take back the name he revealed to Moses (Ex. 3:14; 6:2–3) and the saving, covenantal presence his name symbolizes. No one can then swear by his (recalled) name and his presence.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:27 watching over them. To keep God’s words concerning the sending disaster. See 1:11–12. sword … famine. See 14:1–15:4 and 44:12–13.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:28 The remnant of the remnant that fled to Egypt will be quite few in number, but some will return to Judah. When this happens they will see that just as they carry out their promises to the “queen of heaven” (vv. 24–25), so will God carry out his words of judgment.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 44:29–30 God offers the people a sign: when Egypt’s current king dies, they will know that God has spoken truly. Hophra ruled Egypt c. 589–570 B.C. He supported Zedekiah against Babylon (37:5), so he was probably a special favorite of the Judeans. hand of his enemies. Domestic enemies deposed Hophra in 570 B.C. and killed him three years later.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 45:3 Baruch felt the effects of sharing Jeremiah’s ministry and persecution (36:19; 43:3, 6). the LORD has added. Baruch felt God was unjust, and he viewed the great events of the day as difficulties for him.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 45:4 God informs Baruch that he (God) has lost much more than Baruch has. God has lost all he had built and planted—Israel’s people and land.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 45:5 Apparently Baruch hoped for great personal success, not pain and suffering. Seek them not. Fame and ease are not available. I am bringing disaster upon all flesh. Not just Judah, but Egypt (44:29–30; 46:1–28) and many other nations (chs. 47–51). give you your life. A great promise in such times. See 1:17–19 and 39:15–18.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:1–51:64 God’s Judgment on the Nations. Jeremiah has already declared God’s sovereignty over the nations (27:1–15). Here he describes God’s coming judgment on Egypt (ch. 46), Philistia (ch. 47), Moab (ch. 48), Ammon (49:1–6), Edom (49:7–22), Damascus (49:23–33), the ends of the earth (49:34–39), and Babylon (chs. 50–51).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:1–28 God Will Judge Egypt. This chapter declares God’s displeasure with Egypt, Israel’s old foe and recent ally. Jeremiah claims that God will put Egypt to shame (vv. 1–12) and judge Egypt’s gods and kings (vv. 13–26), then notes that God is with Israel (vv. 27–28).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:1 The Septuagint places chs. 46–51 (in slightly different order) after 25:13a. Jeremiah 46:1 serves as a superscription for chs. 46–51. The word of the LORD … concerning the nations. God is not the God of the Jews only, but is Lord of all the earth. In chs. 46–51 his words show that he holds all nations and all people accountable before him (see notes on Mark 6:18; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:14–16).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:2 At Carchemish, Babylon defeated Egypt, thus taking full control of the region. fourth year of Jehoiakim. 605 B.C. (25:1; 36:1; 45:1). Jehoiakim was placed in power by Egypt (2 Kings 23:34). When Babylon defeated Egypt, Jehoiakim switched sides, yet only after Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah (2 Kings 24:1; Dan. 1:1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:3 The buckler was a small shield held in the left hand to protect the head; the shield refers to a large shield held in the right hand to protect the full body. The infantry used these implements.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:4 The charioteers wore helmets and body armor and used spears.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:5 Egypt’s infantry and chariots flee in total disarray. terror on every side. A phrase used also to describe the invader from the north (6:25), as a name for Pashhur (20:3), and as a threat by Jeremiah’s enemies (20:10). In this instance God brings the terror.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:7–8 The Nile rises and falls throughout the year. Jeremiah compares Egypt’s armies to flood waters bent on covering the earth (Isa. 8:7–8; Amos 8:8).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:9 Egypt’s infantry and chariots (vv. 3–4) advance against Babylon. Cush. Ethiopia, in the Nile region south of Egypt. Put. Perhaps on the north coast of Africa (Libya). Lud. Perhaps Lydia, in Asia Minor. Soldiers from these areas were probably mercenaries in Egypt’s army.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:11 Gilead. On the eastern side of the Jordan River. balm. Soothing substance placed in wounds (8:22; Gen. 37:25). Virgin daughter of Egypt refers to the whole population of Egypt and recalls a similar term of endearment used of Israel (Jer. 31:4, 21; see note on 4:31). many medicines. A metaphor for strategy. no healing. A metaphor for aid from another country.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:12 Egypt’s shame has international proportions. Judah felt the shame of loss as well (2:36; 3:25; 23:40).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:13 Nebuchadnezzar advanced against Egypt after the battle of Carchemish. He also campaigned there c. 570–567 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:14 Migdol … Memphis … Tahpanhes. See 44:1. These were places Judeans had fled to, and God said Babylon would punish them (44:1–14).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:15–16 God causes Egypt’s defeat. Babylon remains God’s instrument for punishing idolatry (27:1–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:17 The Egyptian name of Pharaoh Hophra (44:30) was “Haabire” (Gk. Apries). The Hebrew for lets … go by (he‘ebir) sounds like Haabire. The pun may refer to Egypt’s poor response to Judah’s hour of need in 587 B.C. (37:5–6).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:18 the King. God rules the heavens and earth (Ps. 103:19). hosts. Armies. Tabor. Isolated mountain in the plain of Jezreel in northern Israel. Carmel. A famous mountain on the west coast of Israel near the Mediterranean Sea (1 Kings 18:19–40). Nebuchadnezzar shall tower over Egypt like these two mountains.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:19 Memphis was the capital of Egypt. It will suffer Jerusalem’s fate (4:7–8).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:20 biting fly. Perhaps the gadfly, a metaphor for Babylon, who will come from the north and “sting” Egypt in battle.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:21 Egypt’s mercenary soldiers were like fattened calves ready for slaughter. The day of the Lord is the day of their calamity.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:22–23 Like a snake exposed, Egypt hisses at Babylon and crawls into the forest. Babylon’s soldiers are more numerous than locusts, so they simply cut down the whole forest (Isa. 10:34).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:24 daughter of Egypt. See v. 11. put to shame. See v. 12. people from the north. Babylon. See v. 20.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:25 Israel’s God commands armies (hosts), and he sends these armies against Egypt and her gods and her kings. Amon was the chief god of Thebes, the capital of Upper (southern) Egypt. Babylon’s conquest will include Egypt’s southern regions.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:26 Despite the devastation, Egypt will endure. God will leave Egypt with a remnant, perhaps one that will turn to him (Isa. 19:19–25).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 46:27–28 fear not. See 30:10–11 and Isa. 41:8–10. This promise of renewal includes Israel, not just Judah.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:1–7 God Will Judge Philistia. Philistia was one of Israel’s most ancient foes (Josh. 13:2–3; Judg. 3:31; 13:1). This brief chapter asserts that God will destroy the Philistines (Jer. 47:1–4) at the hands of a foe from the north, for his sword cannot rest until then (vv. 5–7). Evidence of such a conflagration appears in the excavations of Ashkelon. Remains from the destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar in 604 B.C. include a layer with much smashed pottery and a male skeleton with a crushed skull.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:1 before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. It is uncertain when this event occurred. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ashkelon, one of Philistia’s major cities (alongside Gaza, Ekron, Gath, and Ashdod), in 604 B.C. Philistia sent no envoy to the multinational meeting (27:3) held in Jerusalem early in Zedekiah’s reign (597–586 B.C.), so Gaza’s defeat may have come prior to that time.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:2 Babylon comes against Gaza like flood waters that overflow the land and all that fills it. Isaiah 8:8 and 28:17 use similar imagery to describe Assyria’s invasion of Judah.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:3 The swiftness and noise of the approaching army will leave fathers helpless to aid their children (46:5).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:4 because of the day. This day of loss is a day of God’s judgment (46:10). Tyre and Sidon. These Phoenician cities were likely Gaza’s allies. Coastal cities were often the last places to fall in land-dominated wars. coastland of Caphtor. The original home of the Philistines (Amos 9:7). Perhaps Crete and the Aegean islands. The Philistines were well settled in Palestine by the late thirteenth century B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:5 Baldness. This means either that Gaza’s citizens shaved their heads as part of a mourning ritual (cf. Isa. 22:12; Amos 8:10) or that the land was shaved clean of inhabitants and cities. Ashkelon has perished. See Jer. 47:1. gash yourselves. Either as a sign of mourning (41:5) or when praying to one’s gods (1 Kings 18:28).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 47:6–7 God’s punishing sword (12:12) will not rest until it completes its work against Ashkelon (47:1) and the seashore.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:1–47 God Will Judge Moab. Israel’s dealings with Moab date back even farther than its relationship with Philistia. Moab’s origins in Abraham’s era (c. 2000 B.C.) began with the tawdry episode of Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19:30–38). Moab opposed Israel in Moses’ era (Numbers 22–25), served Israel in David’s era (2 Sam. 8:2), and plotted with Judah against Babylon in Zedekiah’s era (Jer. 27:3). Here Jeremiah claims God will judge Moab’s arrogance and idolatry (48:1–10), make Moab ashamed of its god (vv. 11–20), silence Moab’s boasts (vv. 21–44), and someday restore Moab (vv. 45–47).

Jeremiah Prophesies against Moab

In a series of prophetic condemnations of nations surrounding Judah, Jeremiah foretold of the doom of Moab and its cities. Moab had often acted as an enemy of Judah, from the time God’s people were preparing to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 22–24) to the time the Moabites formed a coalition with the Ammonites and the Meunites against Judah (2 Chron. 20:1–29). Along with the Ammonites, Moabites were also specifically forbidden from entering the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:3).

Jeremiah Prophesies against Moab

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:1 The location of Nebo is uncertain; perhaps it was near Mount Nebo, 12 miles (19 km) east of the northernmost point of the Dead Sea. Kiriathaim was probably near Nebo. fortress. One or both of the cities were citadels that could house refugees from the countryside. When such places fell, defeat was total.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:2 Heshbon was northeast of Mount Nebo. Madmen. Either the name of an unknown city or a play on words. If a play on words, it could mean “dung pit” (Isa. 25:10 and esv footnote), so Moab may become a dung pit.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:3 Horonaim. Location uncertain, perhaps in southwest Moab. If so, cities from north (vv. 1–2) to south have suffered in the invasion.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:4 little ones. The most helpless of all victims of war (cf. Isa. 16:2; Lam. 4:4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:5 ascent of Luhith. Perhaps in southern Moab on the way to Zoar. See Isa. 15:5. descent of Horonaim. Location unknown, but perhaps farther south than Luhith. See Isa. 15:5. The contrast between ascent and descent may simply mean the cry of destruction has reached the heights and depths of Moab.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:6 like a juniper in the desert. A short shrub that barely survived in its harsh environment (17:6).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:7 works, treasures. Moab once raised vast numbers of sheep, boasted fierce warriors (2 Kings 3), and was likely proud of building a nation in a desert region. Chemosh was Moab’s national deity. Human sacrifice was part of Moab’s rituals for Chemosh (2 Kings 3:27). shall go into exile. Images of a defeated nation’s gods were often taken to the temples of the victorious nation (1 Sam. 5:1–12; Isa. 46:1–2; Amos 5:25–27).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:8 destroyer. Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Moab c. 582 B.C. Every city and region, valley or plain was devastated.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:9 she would fly away. Moab’s only escape route is the sky, so she has no hope of eluding Babylon. See Isa. 15:5–9 and 16:6–12 for similar imagery of a defeat Moab suffered at Assyria’s hand c. 713–711 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:10 Babylon will do its work as God’s instrument of judgment (27:1–15) with urgency, not laziness.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:11 Moab has survived many previous invasions (v. 9). Thus, Moab has become complacent and settled on his dregs (Zeph. 1:12), like wine allowed to age. Moab produced wine (Isa. 16:8–11), so the metaphor is apt.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:12 pour him … break his jars. Babylon will empty Moab like one pours wine from a jar; it will smash Moab like one smashes and disposes of old jars (13:12–14; 19:1–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:13 ashamed of Chemosh. Because this god cannot save (10:1–25; Isa. 15:2; 16:12). ashamed of Bethel. See Hos. 10:6. At Bethel, Jeroboam I established one of his chief high places in his syncretistic religion (1 Kings 12:25–33). Worship there was part of the reason God judged Israel (2 Kings 17:9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:15 See 46:18. The Lord is the King of all nations. Even Babylon must obey him (cf. 27:1–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:16 near at hand. See v. 8. Moab had only a few years to change its ways.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:17 all you who are around him. Neighboring nations that once plotted with Moab against Babylon (27:3). scepter. A symbol of royal power (cf. Gen. 49:10). staff. A symbol of the king’s rule as shepherd of his people (cf. Ps. 23:4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:19 Aroer. About 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Dibon. Its citizens stand beside the road as Dibon’s people flee from the north.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:20 The fleeing ones explain that Moab is broken (v. 12). The Arnon is a river just south of Aroer.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:21–24 All Moab’s cities are lost in this judgment time. the tableland. The region north of the Arnon as far as Heshbon (v. 8). Holon. Location uncertain. Jahzah. Perhaps near Dibon (v. 18). Mephaath. Location uncertain. Nebo. See v. 1. Beth-diblathaim. Location uncertain. Kiriathaim. See v. 1. Beth-gamul. Perhaps 8 miles (13 km) east of Dibon. Beth-meon. 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Medeba. Kerioth. See Amos 2:2. Bozrah. Location uncertain.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:26 drunk. By drinking the cup of God’s wrath (25:15–26). wallow in his vomit. See 25:27.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:28 God counsels Moab to seek refuge in the mountains, as David once did (1 Sam. 24:1–3).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:31 This verse is close in content to Isa. 16:7, 11. God mourns over the necessity of judging Moab. Kir-hareseth. Probably 17 miles (27 km) south of the Arnon River and 10 miles (16 km) east of the Dead Sea.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:32 Jazer. Probably 10 miles (16 km) north of Heshbon (Num. 21:32). Sibmah. Probably 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Heshbon. This area was covered with vineyards.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:33 The shout of joy heard when new wine is made will be replaced by warriors’ shouts (25:30–31). See Isa. 16:8–10.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:34 Heshbon. See v. 2. Elealeh. Two miles (3.2 km) north of Heshbon. Jahaz. Located in southwest Moab. Zoar. At the south end of the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:2; 19:22). Horonaim. See Jer. 48:5. Eglath-shelishiyah. Location unknown. waters of Nimrim. Either 10 miles (16 km) from the southern end of the Dead Sea or 8 miles (13 km) from its northern end.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:35 God’s judgment will bring Moab’s idolatry to an end (cf. Isa. 15:2, 5).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:36 my heart moans. God himself mourns that Moab’s people will lose the possessions they spent a lifetime collecting (Isa. 15:7; 16:11). Though God in his justice brings righteous judgment against sinners and takes delight in the purity and holiness of his judgment, he also feels sorrow at the destruction that the judgment brings upon human beings created in his image (cf. Ezek. 18:32; 33:11; Matt. 23:37; Luke 19:41).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:37 Moab will take on every conceivable indication of mourning. See 16:6 and 47:5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:38 broken Moab like a vessel. See 19:11 and 48:11–12.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:40 spread his wings against. Babylon will swoop down on Moab like a bird capturing prey (cf. 49:22; Lam. 4:19; Ezek. 17:3–8).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:41 Moab will be as capable of stopping the invasion as a woman giving birth is able to stop birth pains (4:31; 6:24; Isa. 13:7–8).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:42 Moab … magnified itself against the LORD by failing to accept God’s word concerning Babylon’s role as a divine instrument of judgment. See 27:1–15.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:45 Heshbon. See v. 2. fugitives stop without strength. These people have fled only as far as the northern regions of Moab. fire came out from Heshbon. The city has been torched. house of Sihon. See Num. 21:21. forehead … crown. Probably a reference to Moab’s northern regions.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:46 This verse echoes Num. 21:29, which celebrates Israel’s victory over the Amorites and Moabites before Israel entered Canaan.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 48:47 God makes the same promise of restoration to Moab as he did to Judah in 29:14. The latter days most likely refers to a time when Moabites will take refuge in the Messiah (cf. 49:6, 39; Isa. 16:3–5).

Oracles against the Nations in the Prophets

View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c104

	Isaiah	Jeremiah	Ezekiel	Joel	Amos	Obadiah	Jonah	Nahum	Zephaniah	Zechariah*
Ammon		49:1–6	25:1–7		1:13–15
Arabia	21:13–17
Assyria (Nineveh)	10:5–19; 14:24–27						(Nineveh)	(Nineveh)
Babylon	13:1–14:23; 21:1–10; 46:1–47:15	50:1–51:64								2:9–12?
Damascus	17:1–6?	49:23–27			1:3–5					9:1
Edom	21:11–12	49:7–22	25:12–14		1:11–12	1–14?
Egypt	18:1–20:6	46:2–26	29:1–32:32
Elam		49:34–39
Ethiopia									2:12–15
Gaza					1:6–8					9:5
Kedar and Hazor		49:28–33
Lebanon										11:1–3?
Moab	15:1–16:14	48:1–47	25:8–11		2:1–3				2:8–11
Philistia	14:28–32	47:1–7	25:15–17	3:4–8					2:5–7	9:6
Tyre Sidon	23:1–18		26:1–28:19; 28:20–23	3:4–8	1:9–10					9:2–3

*Additional cities/states are denounced in 9:1–8: Hadrach, Aram (v. 1); Ashkelon, Ekron (v. 5); Ashdod (v. 6)

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:1 Ammonites. People living north of Moab. Their capital was Rabbah, present-day Amman. During Jehoiakim’s reign they raided Judah (2 Kings 24:2), and they conspired with Judah and others against Babylon in Zedekiah’s reign (Jer. 27:3). Milcom. Or Molech, Ammon’s chief god (1 Kings 11:5, 7). Milcom means “their king.” dispossessed Gad. In the aftermath of the Assyrian invasion of 734–732 B.C., Ammon occupied some territory belonging to the Israelite tribe Gad.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:2 Like Jerusalem (38:18, 23), Rabbah (49:1) will be burned by invaders. Israel shall dispossess. Israel will retake the cities lost in 734–732 B.C. (v. 1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:3 Heshbon. See 48:2. Ai. Location unknown; not the Ai of Josh. 7:1–9. Rabbah. See Jer. 49:2. Milcom shall go into exile. See 48:7.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:4 boast of your valleys. Perhaps a fertile part of the Jabbok River Valley. trusted in her treasures. See 48:7. Like Moab, Ammon believed that her wealth insulated her from trouble. Perhaps this wealth was used to pay tribute money.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:5 I will bring terror. God is sovereign over all nations; he will send an invader. every man straight before him. The Ammonites will flee by the quickest route possible, and there will be none to gather the fugitives. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Ammon c. 582 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:6 God will restore Ammon’s fortunes, just as he will for Israel and Moab. See 29:14 and 48:47.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:7–22 There is much overlap between this prophecy against Edom and the book of Obadiah.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:7 Edom. Descendants of Esau (Gen. 36:1–19) who lived south of the Dead Sea toward the Gulf of Aqaba. Obadiah 10–14 indicates that Edom benefited from Jerusalem’s fall. wisdom … in Teman. Teman was in northern Edom. Obadiah 8 indicates Edom was famous for its “wise men”; they will soon vanish.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:8 Dedan. A site southeast of Edom. The warning is either for Dedanites living in Edom to return home or for Dedan to cease relations with Edom to avoid trouble with Edom’s conqueror.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:9–10 Unlike grape gatherers and thieves, who leave something behind, God has stripped Esau bare of protection and hiding places.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:11–12 God may protect Edom’s fatherless children and widows, but the nation as a whole will drink the cup of destruction (25:28–29; Lam. 4:21).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:13 Bozrah. Capital of Edom, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of the Dead Sea. Moab also had a city by this name (48:24). Like Jerusalem (15:4; 24:9), Bozrah shall become a horror to other nations.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:14 Once Edom sent envoys to Judah to plot against Babylon (27:3); now God sends an envoy to gather nations against Edom (Obad. 1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:16 Edom was in mountainous terrain and her citadels were well fortified, so she felt safe. But no topography can protect Edom from the invaders that God sends.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:18 God utterly destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, Admah and Zeboiim (Gen. 14:2; 19:23–29), and he will do the same to Edom.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:19 the jungle of the Jordan. An area of the Jordan Valley where the Asiatic lion and other wild animals roamed (12:5). perennial pasture. Lush grazing ground for sheep. These sheep run away when the lion approaches. God will devour Edom’s sheep (people) and appoint new shepherds (leaders) over them.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:20 See 50:45. God’s plans never fail, so Edom’s whole flock—even its little ones—will be dragged away.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:21 See 50:46. Edom’s cry will be heard at the Red Sea, or as far as the Egyptian border.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:22 The invader will be like an eagle swift to pursue prey. See 48:40. Bozrah. Probably the capital of Edom; see note on 49:13. a woman in her birth pains. See 4:31 and 48:41.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:23 Damascus. See Isa. 17:1–6 and Amos 1:3–5. The chief Aramean city, home to kings Ben-hadad (1 Kings 20) and Hazael (2 Kings 8:7–15). Assyria dominated Damascus from 732 to 609 B.C., and Babylon did so after 605. Hamath and Arpad. Hamath was 115 miles (185 km) north of Damascus, and Arpad was 95 miles (153 km) north of Hamath. heard bad news. About Damascus and from a great distance.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:24 Damascus’s distress is so great she is too terrified to flee. She is like a woman in labor. See 4:31 and 48:41.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:27 See Amos 1:4–5, where similar phraseology is applied to Damascus.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:28 Kedar. A significant Arab clan (2:10; Isa. 21:16–17). Kedar engaged in sheep breeding (Isa. 60:7) and traded with Phoenicia (Ezek. 27:21). kingdoms of Hazor. Probably a term designating several nomadic tribes in northern Arabia (Ps. 120:5; Isa. 42:11). Nebuchadnezzar … struck down. Babylonian records indicate that Nebuchadnezzar raided Arabia in 599 B.C., but another (unknown) event could be intended. people of the east. A general term for people living east of Judah, perhaps the Midianites and Amalekites (Judg. 6:2–3).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:29 “Terror on every side!” See 6:25; 20:3, 10; 46:5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:30 plan … purpose. See v. 20. God devises plans that Nebuchadnezzar implements (27:1–15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:31–32 These tribes did not have walled, fortified cities, so they were as vulnerable as the sheep in v. 19.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:33 Hazor. See v. 28. These metaphors for desolation occur in 9:11 to describe Jerusalem and in 10:22 to describe Judah’s cities. See also Isa. 13:19–22.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:34 Elam. East of Babylon in the lower Tigris River Valley. Conquered by Assyria in 640 B.C. beginning of the reign of Zedekiah. c. 597 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:36–38 God will send invaders against Elam and destroy it. set my throne. Most likely the throne of Nebuchadnezzar (27:1–15). Babylonian records indicate Nebuchadnezzar may have campaigned against Elam in 596–595 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 49:39 For the same promise to other nations, see 33:26; 49:6; and note on 48:47. These verses predict a future salvation for Gentiles.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:1–51:64 God Will Judge Babylon. Babylon was the great world power during the second half of Jeremiah’s ministry (609–587 B.C.). Jeremiah predicts that this great kingdom will fall, an event that occurred in 539 B.C. Jeremiah asserts that Babylon and its gods will be destroyed (50:1–10) because the people have sinned against God (50:11–16). He claims that God will gather and pardon Israel (50:17–20) but will make Babylon like Sodom and Gomorrah (50:21–40), for God’s plans must be fulfilled (50:41–46). He promises that God has not forsaken Israel (51:1–10). God is the Creator (51:11–23) who will destroy Babylon for Israel’s sake (51:24–64).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:1–2 Babylon is taken. Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. (Isa. 13:1–14:23; 21:9). Bel (corresponds to Hb. Ba‘al) was the title (“Lord”) of the chief god of Babylon, depicted as a storm god and source of life (Isa. 46:1). Merodach (Babylonian “Marduk”) was the personal name of this god.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:3 In Jeremiah, trouble always comes from the north (1:14). Like Judah’s cities (4:27; 10:22; 25:18; etc.), Babylon shall become a desolation (Isa. 13:9).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:4–5 When Babylon falls, Israel and Judah shall join together (3:6–18) to seek the LORD their God (31:9). Zion was both the mountain in Jerusalem and the eternal home of God and his people (31:6, 12; Isa. 4:2–6). everlasting covenant. The new covenant (Jer. 32:40; cf. 31:31–40).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:6 shepherds. Judah’s and Israel’s religious, political, and social leaders have led them astray. See 2:8; 3:15; 6:3; 10:21; 12:10; 23:1–4. From mountain to hill they have gone. Probably for fertility cult worship (2:20).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:7 Because their leaders have led them astray and then forsaken them, Israel and Judah have been plundered by their foes, all of whom God has sent (27:1–15). their habitation of righteousness. God is his people’s only security (31:23) and only righteousness (23:6). the hope of their fathers. He is the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and their offspring (33:26).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:8 male goats before the flock. Just as male goats rushed out first when gates were opened, so Israel will be among the first to leave Babylon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:11–13 Babylon once rejoiced over its plundering of Judah, God’s heritage, like a calf frolicking or a stallion snorting. Soon Babylon will be ashamed and become an utter desolation (cf. v. 2). everyone who passes by. Just as Judah became a cautionary tale for others, so Babylon will become one as well.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:14–15 Just as Judah and Israel faced defeat because they sinned against the LORD, so the same will happen to Babylon for the same reason. Babylon’s defeat is the vengeance of the LORD for all her oppressive ways.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:16 Just as Babylon’s army has ruined other lands, so its land will now be ruined by foreign forces.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:18 Just as God used Babylon to punish Assyria (c. 612–609 B.C.), so God uses Persia to punish Babylon (539).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:19 God’s sheep (23:1–8) will feed in lush pastures. Carmel. See 46:18. Bashan. See 22:20. Ephraim. See 4:15. Gilead. See 46:11.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:20 When God restores his people, no sin will be found in them, not because they have never sinned, but because he will pardon them (31:34) and completely purify their hearts (see note on 31:38–40; cf. Rev. 21:27).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:21 Merathaim. Region where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge. Pekod. Region in eastern Babylonia. devote them to destruction. Set apart as the goods given to God as the spoils of holy war (cf. Josh. 7:10–26).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:23 hammer of the whole earth. Babylon hammered all other nations into submission (27:6). a horror. See 15:4; 18:16; 19:8; 34:17; 48:39; 49:13, 16, 17.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:24 God set a trap for and snared Babylon. He willed that it face defeat. you did not know it. The defeat completely surprised Babylon. opposed the LORD. In part, through prideful attributing of its success to its own prowess and its own gods (Isa. 10:5–19), but more significantly by not worshiping and serving the one true God.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:25 The armies that defeat Babylon carry the weapons of God’s wrath (v. 9; Isa. 13:1–5). a work to do. See Jer. 48:10.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:26 Babylon’s dead will be piled up like heaps of grain pouring out of granaries. devote her to destruction. See note on v. 21.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:27 bulls. A technical term (Hb. par) for choice young bulls, probably referring to Babylon’s soldiers (Isa. 34:6–7). go down to the slaughter. A metaphor for defeat in battle (Jer. 48:15).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:28 Fugitives (most likely Israelites) will declare God’s retribution for Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem’s temple.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:29 The scene is of siege warfare. Archers peppered the city walls with arrows to provide cover for the men building and using ramps and battering rams. Encamp. Invading armies camped outside the besieged city’s walls. let no one escape. Fugitives from besieged cities were chased, captured, and killed (39:5–6; Lam. 4:19). proudly defied the LORD. See Jer. 50:24. Holy One of Israel. One of Isaiah’s favorite names for God (Isa. 1:4; 5:19; 10:20; 12:6; 60:14).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:30 See 49:26. on that day. God’s day of judging Babylon (Isa. 13:1–6).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:31 O proud one. As was true of Assyria (Isa. 10:5–34), Babylon’s pride was the cause of its downfall.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:32 none to raise him up. No ally will be able to deliver Babylon on the day of punishment. kindle a fire. See 21:14; Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:33 held them fast. Part of Babylon’s sin against God is its oppression of Israelite and Judean captives. Once held, they were never released. Babylon has become like the pharaoh of the exodus (Ex. 5:2).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:34 Redeemer. A kinsman who avenged, protected, secured release, and retained property for a relative (Lev. 25:23–34, 47–55). plead their cause. Act as Israel’s advocate in a legal case. rest to the earth. From Babylon’s oppressive ways. unrest to … Babylon. Lit., “shake” Babylon with war and destruction.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:35–36 officials. Probably court functionaries. wise men. Persons who attempt to interpret dreams, omens, and other means of determining the future (Dan. 4:6–7). diviners. Individuals who read omens to discern the future, especially future battles and their results (Jer. 27:9; 29:8).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:37 foreign troops. Mercenaries. that they may become women! That is, weak in terms of physical strength in combat. It was shameful for a nation to allow women to fight in war. See note on Nah. 3:12–13.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:38 Babylon’s idols will not be able to help when God dries up the nation’s waters.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:39–40 See Isa. 13:19–22. These verses present common metaphors of defeat and desolation. She shall never again have people. Ancient Babylon is still an uninhabited ruin today, though it is surrounded by the city of Al Hillah, Iraq (about 50 miles [81 km] south of Baghdad).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:41–43 These verses are close in content to 6:22–24. What happened to Judah will happen to Babylon. Invasion will come from the north. See 50:3. mighty nation and many kings. See v. 3 and Isa. 13:1–5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 50:44–46 These verses are very close in content to 49:19–21. Thus, what happened to Edom will happen to Babylon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:1 Leb-kamai (lit., “heart of my adversaries”) is a code name for Chaldea (i.e., Babylon; see esv footnote), and it may simply refer to Babylon as God’s enemy because she opposed God (50:24).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:2 Just as God winnowed Judah (15:7), so he will winnow Babylon … on the day of trouble (see 2:28; on the process of winnowing, see note on Ps. 1:4).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:3 The meaning of this verse is uncertain. It refers either to the futility of Babylon resisting the invasion or the ease with which the invader will succeed.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:5 Despite all the judgments that God has sent on Judah and Israel, he has not … forsaken them, for he will unite them (3:6–18) and give them a new covenant (31:31–40). full of guilt. See 50:24 and 51:1. Holy One of Israel. See note on 50:29.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:6 Flee probably refers to Israelites who are counseled to avoid the coming devastation. vengeance. See 50:15, 28.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:7 golden cup. A metaphor for Babylon’s wealth (v. 13) and role as God’s instrument of judgment (25:15–26). making all the earth drunken. A metaphor for the nations’ helplessness before Babylon’s invasions (25:27).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:9 We. Perhaps Babylon’s allies. would have healed Babylon. Would have come to her aid, but such attempts would be pointless because her sins have reached up to heaven, where God sees and judges.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:10 our vindication. God has vindicated Judah and Israel by judging Babylon (v. 5). This action merits God’s praise in Zion, his city.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:11 Medes. See Isa. 13:17–18. The Medes were incorporated into the Persian Empire by Cyrus in 550 B.C. The Medes and Persians are connected as one kingdom in Dan. 5:28; 6:8, 12, 15. vengeance for his temple. See Jer. 50:28.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:12 standard. Signal. See 4:6 and Isa. 13:2. watchmen. Persons charged with making certain Babylon has not grown wise to the invader’s plan. ambushes. Intended to catch Babylon unaware as soldiers leave the city.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:13 many waters. A metaphor for Babylon’s fertility.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:15–19 Stated also in 10:12–16. God alone created and rules the earth. Israel forgot this and was judged; Babylon ignored this and will be judged (Dan. 5:13–30).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:20–23 In the past Babylon was God’s hammer, or instrument of judgment (50:23), but now a new nation will play that role as Babylon becomes like the nations it defeated.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:24 all the evil that they have done in Zion. See 50:28 and 51:11.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:25 As in Dan. 2:35, 44–45, Babylon is compared to a great mountain that once destroyed others but will now be destroyed. A volcano may be the basis for the metaphor, but the exact meaning is uncertain.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:26 Once destroyed, Babylon will never be rebuilt. No one will even begin the process by starting to set up a corner or lay a foundation.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:27 Set up a standard. See v. 12. Ararat. Assyrian “Urartu,” in eastern Turkey (see note on Gen. 8:2–4). Minni. Assyrian “Mannay,” located in northwest Iran. Ashkenaz. Also known as the Scythians, located in the Caucasus region. These groups were all ruled by the Medes until the Persians defeated the Medes c. 550 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:28 Medes. See v. 11. land under their dominion. See v. 27.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:29 land trembles and writhes in pain. See 8:16. desolation. See 50:3, 13.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:30 they have become women. See note on 50:37. on fire. See 50:32. bars are broken. See 49:31.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:31–32 Several messengers tell Babylon’s king the same news: the city is surrounded, the water escape routes cut off, and the places of hiding (marshes) have been torched. No wonder the soldiers are in panic.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:33 Babylon has been prepared for judgment like a threshing floor awaiting harvest. Her time is coming soon.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:34–35 like a monster. Though Nebuchadnezzar was sent by God against Jerusalem (27:1–15), he was unnecessarily violent and brutal in how he treated the Jews (50:17–18; 51:11, 24).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:36 plead your cause. See 50:33–34. dry up her sea. Cut off her fertility. See 51:13.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:38–40 Babylon roars like a hungry lion. God gives it intoxication instead of food (25:15–29), and it will become food for other power-hungry nations. See 5:6 for the image.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:41 praise of the whole earth. The most powerful, richest, and most glorious kingdom on earth (Isa. 13:19).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:42 Babylon’s foes are compared to floodwaters that overwhelm the city.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:43 In contrast to v. 42, Babylon is compared to a desert land too desolate for human travel.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:44 Bel. See note on 50:1–2. what he has swallowed. Babylon believed that its god gave its victories, but he has no power to help in its time of need. wall. The tops of Babylon’s walls were wide enough for several chariots to travel side by side.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:45 “Go out of the midst of her.” See 50:8 and 51:6.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:46 Israel’s exiles should not worry about all the intrigue in Babylon. There will be violence, political unrest, and rulers vying for power.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:47 images. See 50:2 and 51:44. slain shall fall. See 51:4.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:48 All of creation will sing for joy when Babylon, the great destroyer, falls. Its destroyers shall come … out of the north (50:3, 9, 41).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:49 Babylon made other nations drink the cup of God’s wrath (25:15–25), and soon Babylon will drink the same cup (25:26).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:50 Remember the LORD. Israel must recall and renew its covenant with God (2:2–3; 31:31–40). The Israelites should let Jerusalem enter their thoughts and draw them home.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:51 foreigners have come into the holy places. Babylon destroyed the temple (52:12–13) and in doing so profaned God’s dwelling place (Ps. 74:4–8; Lam. 1:10).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:52 execute judgment upon her images. See 50:2 and 51:44, 47.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:53 No amount of preparation or military buildup can save Babylon from destruction.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:55–56 her mighty voice. A metaphor for Babylon’s power. noise of their voice is raised. The invader’s power will become greater than Babylon’s. he will surely repay. See 46:10; 50:15, 28; 51:6, 11, 36.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:57 make drunk. See 25:15–29; 51:38–40. the King. God, not human monarchs like Nebuchadnezzar, rules the universe (46:18).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:58 broad wall of Babylon. See v. 44. high gates. Babylon’s walls and gates were for defensive purposes, but they could not protect her in the end (v. 53). peoples labor for nothing. Humans weary themselves to build great cities to make names for themselves, but God rules history and makes reputations (45:1–5; Hab. 2:12–14).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:59 Seraiah the son of Neriah. Probably Baruch’s brother (32:12). went with Zedekiah. Apparently Zedekiah was summoned to Babylon to explain his questionable behavior recounted in 27:1–15. fourth year. 594–593 B.C. quartermaster. Responsible for the king’s travel arrangements.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:60–62 Jeremiah wrote in a book all these words concerning Babylon (most likely 50:2–51:58). read all these words. Apparently Seraiah was sent to deliver this message, as Baruch was sent in 36:1–8.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 51:63–64 Jeremiah’s final symbolic act (cf. 13:1–14; 16:1–9; 19:1–15; etc.) fulfills his initial call to be a prophet to the nations (1:5). Thus far are the words of Jeremiah indicates the end of Jeremiah’s words either for the whole book or for the scroll composed in 594–593 B.C.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:1–34 Conclusion: The Fall of Jerusalem. The book ends by describing Jerusalem’s fall and Zedekiah’s blinding (vv. 1–11), the destruction of the temple (vv. 12–23), the exiling of the people (vv. 24–30), and the continuation of the Davidic lineage (vv. 31–34). There are parallels with Jeremiah 39 as well as 2 Kings 24–25 (see chart).

Parallels to Jeremiah 52

View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c107

Jeremiah 52	Parallels in 2 Kings 24–25	Parallels in Jeremiah 39
vv. 1–11	24:18–25:7
vv. 4–11		vv. 1–7
vv. 12–27	25:8–21
vv. 31–34	25:27–30

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:1–11 Jerusalem’s Fall and Zedekiah’s Blinding. The content of these verses and 2 Kings 24:18–25:7 is nearly identical, and the content of Jer. 52:4–11 and 39:1–7 is also nearly identical. Thus, this section begins a summary of the results of Jeremiah’s preaching (1:10).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:1 Zedekiah ruled c. 597–586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar placed him in power to replace Jehoiachin, Zedekiah’s nephew (2 Kings 24:17). Hamutal. See 2 Kings 24:18. Not mentioned elsewhere. Jeremiah of Libnah. Otherwise unknown. Jeremiah the prophet, this Jeremiah, and one other person (Jer. 35:3) have the same name.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:2 Both Zedekiah and Jehoiakim failed to heed God’s warnings (21:1–10; 36:1–31).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:3 cast them out from his presence. Sent the Judeans into exile, as God had warned (Lev. 26:27–39; Deut. 28:64–68). Zedekiah rebelled against the man who put him in power (2 Kings 24:17; Jer. 52:1).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:4–6 Nebuchadnezzar punished Zedekiah’s rebellion by laying siege to Jerusalem (39:1–2). Because the siege lasted over a year and because of famine in the land (15:1–4), the city could hold out no longer.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:8–9 The words and all his army was scattered from him do not appear in 39:5.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:10–11 The words and put him in prison till the day of his death do not appear in 39:7.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:12–23 The Destruction of the Temple. Though 39:8 has already described the city’s burning in general terms, this passage focuses on the pillaging and burning of God’s house.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:12 fifth month. One month after the breach in the city walls (v. 6) Nebuzaradan (39:9–10), Nebuchadnezzar’s representative, entered Jerusalem to complete its destruction.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:13 See 39:8. Nebuzaradan set fire to the temple, the palace, and all large houses. These fires must have destroyed other parts of the city as well. The burning of the temple is not mentioned in 39:8.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:14 The Chaldean army … broke down all the walls, thus leaving the city defenseless. Nehemiah began rebuilding the walls c. 445 B.C. (Neh. 2:11–3:32).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:24–30 The Exiling of the People. Babylon removes Judah’s chief religious, civic, and military leaders, leaving the nation without wise direction. The exile is not one event, but three or more deportations linked to political machinations.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:24 Seraiah the chief priest. The grandson of Hilkiah, chief priest during Josiah’s reign (1 Chron. 6:13–15). Zephaniah the second priest. Probably next in line to be high priest (Jer. 29:24–32). three keepers of the threshold. See 35:3–4. The temple’s chief leaders were taken into exile.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:25 Nebuzaradan also exiled several civic leaders. officer … in command of the men of war. A position perhaps akin to a minister of defense. seven men of the king’s council. The king’s personal advisers or cabinet. secretary of the commander. Probably responsible for military personnel. sixty men of the people of the land. Most likely leaders of various parts of Judah who took refuge in Jerusalem during the invasion.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:26–27 Riblah in the land of Hamath. The same place where Nebuchadnezzar judged Zedekiah (39:5).

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:28–30 Nebuchadnezzar took captives from Judah in stages. Many people had fled to other lands (44:1, 8), and many were left in the land (ch. 40). The seventh year was c. 597 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin with Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17). 3,023. This may count only males or leaders, since 2 Kings 24:11–16 gives a larger number. eighteenth year. c. 586 B.C. twenty-third year. c. 582 B.C. This deportation may have been in response to Gedaliah’s assassination (Jeremiah 41) or some other revolt, but specific details are not known.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:31 the exile of Jehoiachin. See vv. 1, 29; 2 Kings 24:17. Evil-merodach. Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, who reigned c. 562–560 B.C. Perhaps to show his benevolence, he treated Jehoiachin (who may have been the longest-imprisoned opposing king) with favor.

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON 52:32–34 Whatever Evil-merodach’s motives, Jehoiachin was treated well as long as he lived. The Davidic lineage, like the people, waited in exile for the 70 years to end (25:12; 29:1–14).