[BACK TO 14:1–15:21] Messages delivered by Jeremiah during an especially severe drought, the date of which is unknown.

[BACK TO 14:1–15:9] After an initial vivid description of the drought ( 14:2–6 ), Jeremiah alternately prays ( 14:7–9 , 13 , 19–22 ) and God responds ( 14:10–12 , 14–18 ; 15:1–9 ).

[BACK TO 14:1] drought. See 17:8 . Unlike that in 3:3 ; 12:4 , the suffering is increased because an enemy has invaded the land (see v. 18 ). Drought was one of the curses threatened (see 23:10 ) for disobedience to the covenant (see Lev 26:19–20 ; Dt 28:22–24 ).

[BACK TO 14:2] cities. Lit. “gates” (see note on Ge 22:17 ); see 15:7 .

[BACK TO 14:3] nobles. A drought is no respecter of class distinctions. cover their heads. In mourning (see v. 4 ; 2Sa 15:30 ; cf. 2Sa 19:4 ).

[BACK TO 14:4] because there is no rain. See 1Ki 17:7 . Unlike Egypt, where the mighty Nile waters the ground, the Holy Land depends on adequate rainfall.

[BACK TO 14:6] pant. The Hebrew underlying this word is translated “sniffing the wind” in 2:24 . There a female wild donkey (Jerusalem) was in the heat of desire, while here the male wild donkeys are panting because of a drought brought on by Judah’s sin. eyes fail. See Ps 6:7 and note.

[BACK TO 14:7–9] The prophet prays on behalf of the people (see v. 11 ).

[BACK TO 14:7] for the sake of your name. See v. 21 ; Jos 7:9 ; Isa 48:9–11 . rebelled. See 2:19 ; 3:22 ; 5:6 (translated “backsliding” in these verses). The word implies apostasy.

[BACK TO 14:8] hope of Israel. See v. 22 ; 17:13 ; 50:7 ; Ac 28:20 .

[BACK TO 14:9] we bear your name. We belong to you, our ever-present Savior (see note on 7:10 ).

[BACK TO 14:10–12] The Lord responds.

[BACK TO 14:10–11] this people. God does not acknowledge them as his own (see Isa 6:9–10 ; 8:6 , 11–12 ; see also note on Ex 17:4 ).

[BACK TO 14:10] wander. After false gods (see 2:23 , 31 ). the L ORD does not … their sins. The Hebrew for these three lines is quoted verbatim from Hos 8:13 (cf. Hos 9:9 ).

[BACK TO 14:11] Do not pray. See note on 7:16 ; cf. 1Sa 7:8 ; 12:19 .

[BACK TO 14:12] not accept them. See v. 10 . Sacrifice is to no avail when unaccompanied by repentance (see note on 6:20 ). sword , famine and plague. Curses for violating God’s covenant (see Lev 26:25–26 ); the first occurrence of this triad, which occurs 15 times in Jeremiah (see Introduction: Literary Features ; see also Eze 5:16–17 and note).

[BACK TO 14:13] Jeremiah reminds the Lord of what the false prophets are saying. not … sword or … famine. See 5:12 . lasting peace. Jeremiah’s elaboration of the false prophets’ “Peace, peace” (see 6:14 ; 8:11 ).

[BACK TO 14:14–18] The Lord responds.

[BACK TO 14:14] lies. See 5:12 . in my name. See Dt 18:20 , 22 . delusions of their own minds. See 23:26 .

[BACK TO 14:15] Those … prophets will perish. See 28:15–17 ; Dt 18:20 .

[BACK TO 14:16] no one to bury them. See note on 7:33 . wives … sons … daughters. All would perish, because all had worshiped false gods (see note on 7:18 ).

[BACK TO 14:17] my eyes overflow with tears. See 9:18 ; 13:17 . Virgin Daughter , my people. Lit. “the virgin of the daughter of my people” (see 8:11 ; Isa 22:4 and note on 2Ki 19:21 ).

[BACK TO 14:19–22] The prophet prays on behalf of the people.

[BACK TO 14:20] guilt of our ancestors. See 2:5–6 ; 7:25–26 . we have … sinned. Repentance brings restoration (see Dt 30:2–3 ).

[BACK TO 14:21] For the sake of your name. See Eze 20:9 and note. your glorious throne. The Jerusalem temple (see 17:12 ; 2Ki 19:14–15 ; Ps 99:1–2 ). Remember your covenant … do not break it. Jeremiah pleads the ancient promise of God found in Lev 26:44–45 .

[BACK TO 14:22] See Hos 2:8 , 21–22 . worthless idols. See note on 2:5 . it is you. Only the Lord (not Baal) can send the showers to end the drought (see v. 1 ). our hope is in you. See note on v. 8 .

[BACK TO 15:1–9] The Lord responds, concluding this section (see note on 14:1–15:9 ).

[BACK TO 15:1] Moses and Samuel. Very special agents of God’s rule over Israel who were also famous for their intercessions for sinful Israel (see Ex 32:11–14 , 30–34 ; Nu 14:13–23 ; Dt 9:18–20 , 25–29 ; 1Sa 7:5–9 ; 12:19–25 ; Ps 99:6–8 ). stand before me. The posture of God’s servants as they are about to pray to him (see Ge 18:22 ; 1Ch 17:16 and note; Mk 11:25 ). Send them away. The people are so wicked that God refuses to hear prayers offered on their behalf. They are beyond divine help (see notes on 7:16 ; 14:11–12 ).

[BACK TO 15:2] See Eze 14:21 ; 33:27 . death. Probably by plague; see 14:12 (and note), where “sword, famine and plague” are God’s three agents of destruction, paralleling the first three here (the Hebrew word for “starvation” here is the same as that for “famine” in 14:12 ).

[BACK TO 15:3–4] Foreseen in Dt 28:25–26 .

[BACK TO 15:3] four kinds. Not the same four as in v. 2 , but an elaboration of three of the fates awaiting the corpses of those killed by the sword. The seventh-century BC vassal treaties of Esarhaddon present similar curses: “May Ninurta, leader of the gods, fell you with his fierce arrow, fill the plain with your corpses, and give your flesh to the eagles and vultures to feed on … May dogs and pigs eat your flesh.” dogs. See 1Ki 21:23 . wild animals. See Rev 6:8 .

[BACK TO 15:4] abhorrent. The Hebrew for this word is translated “a thing of horror” in the parallel in Dt 28:25 . what Manasseh … did in Jerusalem. Manasseh, good King Josiah’s grandfather, was the most wicked king in Judah’s long history (see 2Ki 21:1–11 , 16 ). His sins were a primary cause of Judah’s eventual destruction (see 2Ki 21:12–15 ; 23:26–27 ; 24:3–4 ).

[BACK TO 15:5–9] A poem concerning the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC (see La 1:1 , 12 , 21 ; 2:13 , 20 ).

[BACK TO 15:5] Cf. Mt 23:37 .

[BACK TO 15:6] You keep on backsliding. Lit. “You go backward” (cf. 7:24 ; see note on 2:19 ).

[BACK TO 15:7] winnow. See note on Ru 1:22 . Winnowing as a figure of judgment is found also in 51:2 ; Pr 20:8 , 26 ; Isa 41:16 . city gates of the land. Or, more simply, “gates of your land” (as in Na 3:13 ), i.e., the approaches to the land. bereavement … on my people. The young men will fall in battle, and Judah and Jerusalem will be left childless (see Eze 5:17 ). not changed. Lit. “not repented of,” reminiscent of the refrain in Am 4:6 , 8–11 : “yet you have not returned to me,” where the same Hebrew verb is used (see note on 3:1 ).

[BACK TO 15:8] widows more numerous than the sand of the sea. A tragic reversal of the covenant promise of innumerable offspring (see Ge 22:17 and note). At midday … suddenly. Military attacks at noon were unexpected (see note on 6:4 ). destroyer. Babylonia (see note on 4:7 ). anguish. See note on 4:19 .

[BACK TO 15:9] seven. The complete, ideal number of sons (see Ru 4:15 and note)—soon to be destroyed. sun will set while it is still day. See Am 8:9 ; cf. Mt 27:45 and note. survivors. Lit. “remnant” (see note on 6:9 ). Even they will be put to the sword (see Mic 6:14 ).

[BACK TO 15:10–21] The third of Jeremiah’s “confessions” (see Introduction: Author and Date ), including in this case two responses by the Lord (vv. 11–14 , 19–21 ).

[BACK TO 15:10] See 20:14–15 and notes; Job 3:3–10 . have neither lent nor borrowed. Have not become involved in matters likely to evoke dispute or difference of opinion.

[BACK TO 15:11–14] The Lord speaks, first to Jeremiah (v. 11 ), then to the people of Judah (vv. 12–14 ).

[BACK TO 15:11] God encourages Jeremiah. I will make your enemies plead with you. Fulfilled, e.g., in 21:1–2 ; 37:3 ; 38:14–26 ; 42:1–3 .

[BACK TO 15:12] A rhetorical question assuming a negative answer. iron. Symbolic of great strength (see 28:13 ). from the north. From Babylonia (see note on Isa 41:25 ).

[BACK TO 15:13–14] Repeated in large part in 17:3–4 .

[BACK TO 15:13] Fulfilled in 52:17–23 . without charge. Cf. Isa 55:1 . People and plunder alike would be free for the taking (see note on Isa 52:3 ).

[BACK TO 15:14] for my anger will kindle a fire. Quoted verbatim from Dt 32:22 , where the same Hebrew is translated “For a fire will be kindled by my wrath.”

[BACK TO 15:15] you understand. The Lord is aware of what Jeremiah has suffered (see v. 10 ). remember. Express concern for (see note on Ge 8:1 ).

[BACK TO 15:16] your words … I ate them. I digested them, I assimilated them, I made them a part of me (see Eze 2:8–3:3 ; Rev 10:9–10 ). came. Lit. “were found”—perhaps referring to the discovery of the Book of the Law in the temple during the reign of Josiah in 621 BC (see 2Ki 22:13 ; 23:2 ; see also note on 1:2 ). they were … my heart’s delight. See Ps 1:2 . I bear your name. See 14:9 ; I belong to you (see note on 7:10 ).

[BACK TO 15:17] sat alone. Jeremiah never married (see 16:2 ), and he attracted only a few friends (see Introduction: Author and Date ). your hand. Divine constraint (see 2Ki 3:15 ; Isa 8:11 and note; Eze 1:3 ; 3:14 , 22 ; 37:1 ; 40:1 ). indignation. At the sins of Judah (see 6:11 ).

[BACK TO 15:18] Two rhetorical questions used by Jeremiah to express his nagging doubts about himself, his mission and God’s faithfulness. pain unending … wound grievous and incurable. Jerusalem is similarly described in 30:12–15 , together with God’s promise of healing in 30:17 . deceptive brook. See Mic 1:14 , where also “deceptive” probably refers to the kind of intermittent streams described in Job 6:15–20 . Jeremiah here accuses God of being undependable, in contrast to the Lord’s own earlier description of himself as a “spring of living water” (see 2:13 and note).

[BACK TO 15:19–21] The Lord commands Jeremiah to repent, then encourages him and renews his call.

[BACK TO 15:19] repent … restore … turn … turn. The Hebrew root is the same for all four words (see notes on 3:1 ; Isa 1:25–26 ). serve. Lit. “stand before”—the appropriate posture for the obedient servant (see Nu 16:9 ; Dt 10:8 ). spokesman. Lit. “mouth” (see 1:9 and note; Ex 4:15–16 ; see also note on Ex 7:1–2 ).

[BACK TO 15:20] See 1:8 , 18–19 and notes.

[BACK TO 15:21] save you from … the wicked. See, e.g., 36:26 ; 38:6–13 .

[BACK TO 16:1–17:18] Messages of disaster and comfort, with the note of disaster predominating ( 16:1–13 , 16–18 ; 16:21–17:6 ; 17:9–13 , 18 ). The first half of the section is prose ( 16:1–18 ), the second half poetry ( 16:19–17:18 ).

[BACK TO 16:2] Jeremiah’s ministry was such that he had to face life alone (see note on 15:17 ), without the comfort and support a family can provide. You must not. The Hebrew underlying this phrase is used for the most forceful of negative commands, as, e.g., in the Ten Commandments (see Ex 20:3–4 , 7 , 13–17 ). this place. Judah and Jerusalem, especially the latter (see, e.g., Zep 1:4 ).

[BACK TO 16:4] diseases. The Hebrew for this word is translated “ravages” in 14:18 . not be mourned or buried. See v. 6 ; 7:33 and note; 8:2 ; 14:16 ; 25:33 . dung. See 8:2 ; 9:22 ; 25:33 . perish by sword and famine. See 14:15–16 ; see also note on 5:12 . food for the birds and the wild animals. See note on 7:33 .

[BACK TO 16:5] do not go to mourn. See the similar command of God in Eze 24:16–17 , 22–23 .

[BACK TO 16:6] cut themselves … shave their head. Actions forbidden in the law (see Lev 19:28 ; 21:5 and note; Dt 14:1 and note), but sometimes practiced by Israelites as a sign of mourning (see 41:5 ; Eze 7:18 ; Mic 1:16 ).

[BACK TO 16:7] Food was customarily offered to mourners (see 2Sa 3:35 ; 12:16–17 ; Eze 24:17 , 22 ; Hos 9:4 ). drink to console them. Lit. “cup of consolation,” in later Judaism a special cup of wine for the chief mourner.

[BACK TO 16:8] do not enter a house where there is feasting. The present crisis is a time for neither feasting nor mourning (see v. 5 ).

[BACK TO 16:9] See 7:34 ; 25:10 ; contrast 33:10–11 .

[BACK TO 16:10–13] The same question but a more elaborate answer than in 5:19 (see 9:12–16 ; 22:8–9 ; Dt 29:24–28 ; 1Ki 9:8–9 ).

[BACK TO 16:10] Cf. the similar questions in Mal 1:6–7 ; 2:17 ; 3:7–8 , 13 .

[BACK TO 16:11] See 11:10 , where committing sins like those mentioned here is called breaking the Lord’s covenant.

[BACK TO 16:12] behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See 1Ki 14:9 . The coming judgment cannot be blamed on the sins of previous generations (see 31:29–30 and notes; Eze 18:2–4 ). following the stubbornness of your evil hearts. See note on 3:17 ; see also 7:24 .

[BACK TO 16:13] See Dt 28:36 , 64 . I will throw you out. Into exile (see 7:15 ; 22:26 ; Dt 29:28 ). land neither you nor your ancestors have known. Babylonia (see 9:16 ).

[BACK TO 16:14–15] Repeated almost verbatim in 23:7–8 , the passage outlines nearly 1,000 years of Israelite history: exodus (c. 1446 BC ), exile (586), restoration (537). See Isa 43:16–21 ; 48:20–21 ; 51:9–11 . As surely as the L ORD lives. See note on Ge 42:15 .

[BACK TO 16:15] land of the north. Babylonia (see note on Isa 41:25 ).

[BACK TO 16:16] fishermen … hunters. Symbolic of conquerors (see Eze 12:13 ; 29:4 ; Am 4:2 and note). mountain and hill. To which the people would flee in vain (see 4:29 and note). crevices of the rocks. The phrase occurs outside Jeremiah only in Isa 7:19 . The Lord may be recalling here the episode of the ruined linen belt, hidden in a “crevice in the rocks” ( 13:4 ).

[BACK TO 16:17] My eyes are on all their ways. See 32:19 . they are not hidden from me. See 23:24 and note.

[BACK TO 16:18] repay them double. See 17:18 ; Isa 40:2 and note. defiled my land. Made it ceremonially unclean (see 2:7 ; 3:1–2 ; see also note on Lev 4:12 ). lifeless forms of their vile images. See Lev 26:30 . Idols have no life in them (see Ps 115:4–7 ; 135:15–17 ). my inheritance. God’s land (see 17:4 ; see also note on 2:7 ). detestable. Abominable in the Lord’s eyes (see 2:7 ; see also note on Lev 7:21 ).

[BACK TO 16:19–20] The prophet interjects a few brief words of hope.

[BACK TO 16:19] strength … fortress … refuge in time of distress. Such descriptions of God’s dependability and protecting power are common in the Psalms (see, e.g., Ps 18:1–2 ; 28:7–8 ; 59:9 , 16–17 ). to you the nations will come. See 4:2 and note; see also Isa 2:2–4 ; 42:4 ; 45:14 ; 49:6 ; Zec 8:20–23 ; 14:16 . worthless idols. See note on 2:5 . did them no good. Were unprofitable to them (see note on 2:8 ).

[BACK TO 16:20] not gods. See 5:7 .

[BACK TO 16:21–17:4] The Lord responds to Jeremiah and continues his solemn warnings that began in v. 1 .

[BACK TO 16:21] teach … teach … know. The same Hebrew root underlies each of these words. God would “cause them to know,” and then they would surely “know.” them … they. Probably includes Judah as well as the nations (see Eze 36:23 ; 37:14 ). know that my name is the L ORD. “Name” often means “person” or “being” in the OT (see note on Ps 5:11 ). Ezekiel’s equivalent of Jeremiah’s phrase is “know that I am the L ORD, ” found in his prophecy about 70 times (see Introduction to Ezekiel: Themes ; see also notes on Eze 5:13 ; 6:7 ).

[BACK TO 17:1] engraved with an iron tool. The method used to inscribe the most permanent of records (see Job 19:24 ). flint. An extremely hard stone from which tools and weapons were made (see notes on Ex 4:25 ; Jos 5:2 ; see also Eze 3:9 ; Zec 7:12 ). tablets of their hearts. For the same imagery, see Pr 3:3 ; 7:3 . horns of their altars. The people of Judah have backslid so badly that their sins are engraved not only on their hearts but also on their altars—to be remembered by God rather than to be atoned for (see Lev 16:18 ).

[BACK TO 17:2] altars and Asherah poles. See notes on Ex 34:13 ; Dt 7:5 . spreading trees … high hills. See note on 2:20 .

[BACK TO 17:3–4] Repeated in large part from 15:13–14 (see notes there).

[BACK TO 17:3] My mountain. Mount Zion, the location of the temple in Jerusalem (see Ps 24:3 ; Isa 2:3 ; Zec 8:3 ). high places. Locales of idolatrous worship (see note on 1Ki 3:2 ).

[BACK TO 17:4] inheritance. The land of Canaan (see 16:18 ; see also note on 2:7 ).

[BACK TO 17:5–8] See Ps 1 and notes.

[BACK TO 17:5] Cursed. See note on 11:3 . flesh. The opposite of “spirit” (see Isa 31:3 ; cf. Job 10:4 ).

[BACK TO 17:6] bush. The Hebrew for this word suggests destitution (see Ps 102:17 , “destitute”). prosperity. Lit. “good.” The Hebrew for this word is translated “bounty” in Dt 28:12 , where it refers to rain. salt land. An evidence of God’s curse also in Dt 29:23 .

[BACK TO 17:7] trusts … confidence. The same Hebrew root underlies both words.

[BACK TO 17:8] planted. Or “transplanted.” stream. See Isa 44:4 , where the same Hebrew root is used again to illustrate the source of the righteous person’s strength. drought. See note on 14:1 . bear fruit. The Lord’s answer to Jeremiah’s complaint in 12:1–2 (see notes there).

[BACK TO 17:9] The prophet makes an observation, then asks a rhetorical question. heart. Wickedness must not be allowed to take root in one’s heart (see Ps 4:7 and note; Pr 4:23 ). deceitful. The Hebrew root for this word is the basis of the name Jacob (see NIV text note on Ge 27:36 ).

[BACK TO 17:10] The Lord responds to Jeremiah’s question. search … examine. See 11:20 ; 12:3 . mind. Lit. “kidneys” (see 11:20 ). The Hebrew for this word is translated “hearts” in 12:2 . what their deeds deserve. Lit. “the fruit of their deeds” (cf. 6:19 ).

[BACK TO 17:11] The prophet uses a proverb to make his point (as in v. 9 ). partridge. Mentioned elsewhere in the OT only in 1Sa 26:20 . fools. Morally and spiritually bankrupt (see note on Pr 1:7 ).

[BACK TO 17:12–18] The fourth of Jeremiah’s “confessions” (see Introduction: Author and Date ).

[BACK TO 17:12] glorious throne. See note on 14:21 ; see also Isa 6:1 . The Lord is often represented as sitting on a throne between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle and temple (see 1Sa 4:4 and note; Ps 80:1 ; 99:1 ). exalted. Mount Zion is the “high mountain of Israel” ( Eze 20:40 ). from the beginning. From time immemorial, Zion had been chosen by God as the place of his sanctuary (see Ex 15:17 ).

[BACK TO 17:13] hope of Israel. See note on 14:8 . dust. Lit. “earth,” sometimes referring to the netherworld (see note on Ps 61:2 ; see also note on Job 7:21 ), as also in Canaanite and Mesopotamian literature. “Written in the dust” would then mean “destined for death,” the opposite of “written in the book” of life ( Da 12:1 ; see Ex 32:32 ; see also Ps 69:28 ; Lk 10:20 ; Rev 3:5 and notes). forsaken … spring of living water. Contrast 15:18 ; see note on 2:13 .

[BACK TO 17:14] Heal me. See 15:18 ; Ps 6:2 . you are the one I praise. See Ps 22:3 and note.

[BACK TO 17:15] See 20:8 . Jeremiah’s enemies accuse him of being a false prophet (see Dt 18:21–22 ). The accusation must have been voiced before the first invasion of Judah by the Babylonians in 605 BC, after the battle of Carchemish (see 46:2 ; see also Introduction: Background ).

[BACK TO 17:16] shepherd. Symbolic of leadership and therefore of Jeremiah’s role as a prophet (see notes on 2:8 ; Ps 23:1 ; Jn 10:1–30 ).

[BACK TO 17:17] my refuge. See 16:19 and note. day of disaster. See v. 18 ; 15:11 .

[BACK TO 17:18] my persecutors. See 15:15 . double. See 16:18 ; Isa 40:2 and note.

[BACK TO 17:19–27] An extended commentary on the Sabbath-day commandment (the covenant sign of God’s relationship with Israel; see Ex 31:13–17 ; Eze 20:12 ), probably the version recorded in Dt 5:12–15 (see note on v. 22 below).

[BACK TO 17:19] People. Lit. “Sons of the People.” The Hebrew for this word is translated “common people” in 26:23 ; 2Ki 23:6 and “lay people” in 2Ch 35:5 , 7 . The latter meaning seems intended here, and therefore the “Gate of the People” is likely the east gate of the temple, where the people assembled in large numbers and which the kings would be expected to use frequently.

[BACK TO 17:20] kings of Judah. The current king and all subsequent ruling members of David’s dynasty (see, e.g., v. 25 ; 1:18 ; 2:26 ; 13:13 ; 19:3 ).

[BACK TO 17:21] Be careful. See Jos 23:11 . The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated “watch yourselves … carefully” in Dt 4:15 , and a similar expression is translated “be on your guard” in Mal 2:15 , stressing the urgency and solemnity of the Lord’s command.

[BACK TO 17:22] Do not. See note on 16:2 . The Hebrew for this negative expression is stronger than that in v. 21 . not … do any work … keep the Sabbath day holy. Specific references to the Sabbath-day commandment of Ex 20:8 , 10 ; Dt 5:12 , 14 . as I commanded. The Hebrew underlying this phrase is unique to the Ten Commandments as recorded in Deuteronomy (see Dt 5:12 , 15–16 ; see note on vv. 19–27 ).

[BACK TO 17:23] did not listen … were stiff-necked. Repeated from 7:26 (see note there; see also 11:10 ). not … respond to discipline. See 2:30 ; 5:3 .

[BACK TO 17:25] Repeated in part in 22:4 . King David’s dynasty will last forever (see 23:5–6 ; 30:9 ; 33:15 ; 2Sa 7:12–17 ), and Jerusalem will be inhabited for all time ( 31:38–40 ; Zec 2:2–12 ; 8:3 ; 14:11 ), if the people of Judah obey the Lord (see v. 27 )—and they will ultimately, according to 31:33–34 .

[BACK TO 17:26] territory of Benjamin. Jeremiah’s hometown was located there (see 1:1 ). western foothills … hill country. See note on Dt 1:7 . Negev. See note on Ge 12:9 . bringing thank offerings. See 33:11 .

[BACK TO 17:27] Disobedience will bring disaster and will negate—at least temporarily—the promises of vv. 24–26 . gates of Jerusalem. The symbols of Sabbath violation would be the first structures destroyed. kindle … fire … consume her fortresses. Common prophetic language for divine judgment against rebellious cities (see 49:27 ; 50:32 ; Am 1:4 , 7 , 10 , 12 , 14 ; 2:2 , 5 ; cf. Jer 21:14 ).

[BACK TO 18:1–20:18] Three chapters focusing on lessons the Lord taught Jeremiah at the potter’s workshop, probably before 605 BC (see note on 17:15 ).

[BACK TO 18:1–17] As the potter controls what he does with the clay, so the Lord is sovereign over the people of Judah.

[BACK TO 18:2] Go down. The potter’s workshop was probably located on the slopes of the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the Potsherd Gate (see 19:2 and note). See photo .

[BACK TO 18:3] wheel. Lit. “two stones.” Both wheels were attached to a single upright shaft, one end of which was sunk permanently in the ground. The potter would spin the lower wheel with his foot and would work the clay on the upper wheel; the process is described in the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus (38:29–30). See photo .

[BACK TO 18:4] marred. The Hebrew for this word is translated “ruined” in 13:7 with respect to the linen belt that Jeremiah had hidden (see note there). as seemed best to him. The flaw was in the clay itself, not in the potter’s skill.

[BACK TO 18:6] Like clay … so are you. Biblical imagery often pictures humankind as made of clay by a potter (see Job 4:19 and note; Ro 9:20–21 ). potter. The Hebrew for this word is translated “Maker” in 10:16 with reference to God.

[BACK TO 18:7–10] If … if … if … if. God’s promises and threats are conditioned on human actions. God, who himself does not change (see Nu 23:19 ; Mal 3:6 ; Jas 1:17 ), nevertheless does change his preannounced response to people, depending on what they do (see note on 4:28 ; see also Joel 2:13 ; Jnh 3:8–4:2 and note on 3:9 ; 4:11 ).

[BACK TO 18:7] uprooted , torn down and destroyed. See 1:10 and note.

[BACK TO 18:8] See 26:3 . evil … disaster. The Hebrew is the same for both words (also in v. 11 ).

[BACK TO 18:9] built up and planted. See 1:10 and note.

[BACK TO 18:11] devising a plan. See Est 8:3 ; 9:25 ; Eze 38:10 . turn from. The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated “repents of” in v. 8 .

[BACK TO 18:12] It’s no use. See 2:25 ; see also note on Isa 57:10 . follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts. See note on 3:17 .

[BACK TO 18:13–17] See 2:10–13 .

[BACK TO 18:13] horrible thing. See 5:30 ; 23:14 ; Hos 6:10 . Virgin Israel. See note on 2Ki 19:21 .

[BACK TO 18:14–15] Although nature is reliable (v. 14 ), Judah is fickle and unfaithful (v. 15 ).

[BACK TO 18:14] Lebanon. One of the highest of the northern mountains (see 22:6 ), reaching an altitude of over 10,000 feet.

[BACK TO 18:15] my people have forgotten me. Repeated from 2:32 (see note there). burn incense. See note on 1:16 . worthless idols. Lit. “nothing” ( Ps 31:6 ; see Jer 2:8 and note). which made them stumble. See 2Ch 28:23 . ancient paths. See note on 6:16 . roads not built up. See note on Isa 35:8 .

[BACK TO 18:16] object of horror … appalled. The same Hebrew root underlies both words. lasting scorn. See 19:8 ; 25:9 , 18 ; 29:18 ; 51:37 . The phrase implies hissing or whistling to express shock, ridicule and contempt. all … appalled. See 19:8 ; 1Ki 9:8 . shake their heads. See 48:27 ; Job 16:4 and note; see also Ps 44:14 ; 109:25 .

[BACK TO 18:17] wind from the east. See 4:11 ; Ps 48:7 and notes. show them my back and not my face. As the people themselves had done to God (see 2:27 ). His face symbolizes his gracious blessing and favor (see Nu 6:24–26 and note on 6:25 ).

[BACK TO 18:18–23] The fifth of Jeremiah’s “confessions” (see Introduction: Author and Date ).

[BACK TO 18:18] They. Jeremiah’s enemies (see note on 17:15 ). plans against Jeremiah. See v. 12 ; 11:18–23 ; 12:6 ; 15:10–11 , 15–21 . teaching of the law. Delegated to the priests (see note on Hos 4:4–9 ). priest … wise … prophets. Despite Jeremiah’s prophecies to the contrary (see 6:13–15 ; cf. 23:9–40 ; Eze 7:26 and note), the people thought that the various sources for receiving guidance from the Lord would continue as usual. attack him with our tongues. See note on 9:3 .

[BACK TO 18:20] good … repaid with evil. See Ps 35:12 . dug a pit. Symbolic of his enemies’ plots against him (see v. 22 ; Ps 57:6 and note; Pr 22:14 ; 23:27 ). stood before you. See note on 15:1 . spoke in their behalf. See 14:7–9 , 21 .

[BACK TO 18:21] hand them over to the power of the sword. The Hebrew underlying this phrase occurs also in Ps 63:10 ; Eze 35:5 . be put to death. Lit. “be slain by death,” probably referring to plague, as in 15:2 (see note there).

[BACK TO 18:22–23] See Ps 141:8–10 .

[BACK TO 18:22] hidden snares. See Ps 140:5 ; 142:3 .

[BACK TO 18:23] you , L ORD , know. See 12:3 ; 15:15 . Do not forgive their crimes … Let them be overthrown before you. A prayer not for human vengeance but for divine vindication (see note on 10:25 ). blot out their sins. See Ps 51:1–2 and notes.

[BACK TO 19:1–15] A jar deliberately broken by Jeremiah (vv. 1–10 ) symbolizes the forthcoming destruction of Judah and Jerusalem (vv. 11–15 ). In ch. 18 the potter’s clay was still moist and pliable, making it possible to reshape and rework it (see 18:1–11 ). In ch. 19 , however, the clay jar is hard and, if unsuitable for the owner’s use, can only be destroyed (see v. 11 ).

[BACK TO 19:1] jar. The Hebrew for this word implies a vessel with a narrow neck, perhaps the water decanter frequently found in excavations and ranging from 5 to 12 inches high. elders. See note on Ex 3:16 . of the people. See 1Ki 8:1–3 . of the priests. See 2Ki 19:2 , “leading priests” (lit. “elders of the priests”). Elders in Israel were of two kinds, one performing primarily civil functions and the other primarily religious functions.

[BACK TO 19:2] Valley of Ben Hinnom. See note on 7:31 . Potsherd Gate. The Jerusalem Targum (an ancient Aramaic paraphrase) identifies the Potsherd Gate (so called because it overlooked the main dump for broken pottery) with the Dung Gate of Ne 2:13 (see note there); 3:13–14 ; 12:31 .

[BACK TO 19:3] kings. See note on 17:20 . disaster … make the ears … tingle. Echoed from 2Ki 21:12 (see 1Sa 3:11 ). The phrase refers to the shock of hearing an announcement of threatened punishment.

[BACK TO 19:4] they. All who tried to combine the worship of idols with the worship of the one true God. this … place. Jerusalem. burned incense. See note on 1:16 . filled this place with the blood of the innocent. The blood of godly people (see 2:34 ; 7:6 ; 22:3 , 17 ; 26:15 ), specifically as shed by wicked King Manasseh (see 15:4 and note; see also 2Ki 21:16 ).

[BACK TO 19:5–6] Repeated in large part from 7:31–32 (see notes there).

[BACK TO 19:7] ruin. Lit. “pour out”; see NIV text note (see also note on v. 1 ). As Jeremiah was saying this, he may have been pouring water from the jar to the ground (cf. 2Sa 14:14 ). fall by the sword before their enemies. The Babylonians are the instruments of the divine threat (see 20:6 ). carcasses as food … wild animals. See 7:33 and note.

[BACK TO 19:8] Echoes the language of 18:16 (see note there; see also Eze 27:35 ; Zep 2:15 ). devastate … appalled. The same Hebrew root underlies both words—the devastation of the city will have a similar effect on those who see its ruins. scorn … scoff. The same Hebrew root underlies both words.

[BACK TO 19:9] One of the covenant curses (see Lev 26:29 ; Dt 28:53–57 ). eat the flesh of their sons and daughters … eat one another’s flesh. When Jerusalem’s food supply ran out during the Babylonian siege in 586 BC , cannibalism resulted (see La 2:20 ; 4:10 ; Eze 5:10 ). Such shocking activity was not unprecedented in Israel (see 2Ki 6:28–29 ), and it would occur again in AD 70 during the Roman siege of Jerusalem (see Zec 11:9 and note): “A woman … who … had fled to Jerusalem … killed her son, roasted him, and ate one half, concealing and saving the rest” (Josephus, Wars , 6.3.4).

[BACK TO 19:11] smash this nation … as this potter’s jar is smashed. Egyptians of the Twelfth Dynasty (c. 1983–1795 BC ) inscribed the names of their enemies on pottery bowls and then smashed them, hoping to break the power of their enemies by so doing. cannot be repaired. See note on vv. 1–15 .

[BACK TO 19:13] will be defiled like … Topheth. King Josiah had earlier “desecrated Topheth” ( 2Ki 23:10 ). burned incense. See note on 1:16 . on the roofs. See 32:29 ; see also note on Isa 15:3 . The kings of Judah had built pagan altars on the roof of the palace in Jerusalem (see 2Ki 23:12 ). The Ugaritic Keret epic of the fourteenth century BC (see chart ) describes a similar practice: “Go to the top of a tower, bestride the top of the wall … Honor Baal with your sacrifice … Then descend … from the housetops.” starry hosts. Worship of the sun, moon and stars was common in Judah throughout much of the later history of the monarchy (see, e.g., 2Ki 17:16 ; 21:3 , 5 ; 23:4–5 ; Zep 1:5 ). drink offerings to other gods. See note on 7:18 .

[BACK TO 19:14] all the people. A much larger audience than the elders of v. 1 .

[BACK TO 19:15] the villages around it. The towns of Judah that were dependent on Jerusalem (see 1:15 ; 9:11 ). were stiff-necked and would not listen. Repeated from 7:26 (see note there; see also 11:10 ).

[BACK TO 20:1–6] Pashhur’s response to Jeremiah’s symbolic act (vv. 1–2 ), and Jeremiah’s rejoinder (vv. 3–6 ).

[BACK TO 20:1] Pashhur. One or more different men with the same name appear in 21:1 ; 38:1 . The name Pashhur occurs on an ostracon (see note on 34:7 ) found at Arad and dating to the time of Jeremiah. Immer. Perhaps a descendant of the head of the 16th division of priests in the Jerusalem temple (see 1Ch 24:14 ). official in charge. The priest in charge of punishing troublemakers, real or imagined, in the temple courts (see v. 2 ; 29:26 ). The position was second only to that of the chief priest himself (compare 29:25–26 with 52:24 ).

[BACK TO 20:2] The first of many recorded acts of physical violence against Jeremiah. the prophet. The first time Jeremiah is so called in the book (see Introduction: Theological Themes and Message ), here to stress the enormity of Pashhur’s actions. beaten. Probably in accordance with the Mosaic law of Dt 25:2–3 (see note on Dt 25:3 ). stocks. Lit. “restraint, confinement.” Upper Gate of Benjamin. Probably the same as the “north gate of the inner court” ( Eze 8:3 ; see 2Ki 15:35 ; see also Eze 9:2 ). at the L ORD ’s temple. This qualifying phrase distinguishes the temple’s Gate of Benjamin from the “Benjamin Gate” in the city wall ( 37:13 ; 38:7 ). Both gates were in the northern part of the city, facing the territory of Benjamin.

[BACK TO 20:3] Terror on Every Side. See note on 6:25 .

[BACK TO 20:4] Pashhur’s new name symbolizes terror to all Judah, whose people will be exiled to Babylonia or put to death. friends. Associates and allies in the sense of covenant partners (see v. 6 ). king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, who acceded to the Babylonian throne in 605 BC (see notes on 17:15 ; 18:1–20:18 ).

[BACK TO 20:5] Fulfilled in 597 BC (see 2Ki 24:13 ) and in 586 (see 52:17–23 ; 2Ki 25:13–17 ).

[BACK TO 20:6] you , Pashhur , … will go into exile. Probably in 597 BC , because shortly after that year (see 29:2 ) two other men in succession had replaced Pashhur as chief officer in the temple (see 29:25–26 ). you have prophesied lies. The priest Pashhur had pretended to be a prophet.

[BACK TO 20:7–18] The sixth, last and longest of Jeremiah’s “confessions” (see Introduction: Author and Date ; see also note on 11:18–23 ). In some respects, it is the most daring and bitter of them all.

[BACK TO 20:7] Cf. 15:18 . deceived. Lit. “seduce[d]” ( Ex 22:16 ) or “entice[d]” ( 1Ki 22:20–22 ); see v. 10 . Jeremiah feels that when the Lord originally called him to be a prophet he had overly persuaded him (see NIV text note; see also 1:7–8 , 17–19 ; cf. Eze 14:9 ).

[BACK TO 20:8] Jeremiah attributes his suffering to the Lord’s demands on his life. violence and destruction. The prophet’s message echoes the Lord’s word (see 6:7 ). reproach. See Ps 44:13 ; 79:4 .

[BACK TO 20:9] A classic description of prophetic reluctance overcome by divine compulsion (see 1:6–8 ; Am 3:8 ; Ac 4:20 ; 1Co 9:16 ). his word is … like a fire. See 5:14 ; 23:29 . The figure is unique to the prophet Jeremiah (see also La 1:13 ).

[BACK TO 20:10] The Hebrew of the first two lines is identical with that of the first two lines of Ps 31:13 . Terror on every side! See note on 6:25 . The phrase is here used to mock Jeremiah in the light of his doleful message. friends. Lit. “men of my peace/welfare” (cf. Ps 41:9 and note). waiting for me to slip. See Ps 35:15 ; 38:16 . deceived. See v. 7 and note. we will prevail over him. Or so they think (see v. 11 ). take our revenge on him. His enemies will not give up, no matter what it takes (see 11:19 ; 12:6 ; 26:11 ; cf. Ps 56:5–6 ; 71:10 ).

[BACK TO 20:11] the L ORD is with me. See 1:8 and note. mighty. The Hebrew for this word is translated “cruel” in 15:21 , where it describes Jeremiah’s enemies. Here it has a different nuance and is applied to God, whose “might” overcomes all “cruelty.” warrior. See notes on Ex 14:14 ; 15:3 .

[BACK TO 20:12] vengeance . See 11:20 and notes on Dt 32:35 ; Ps 5:10 .

[BACK TO 20:13] Sing … Give praise. See 31:7 ; see also introduction to Ps 9 . rescues … from the hands of the wicked. See 15:21 ; 21:12 . needy. See 22:16 . By Jeremiah’s time, “poor/needy” had become virtually synonymous with “righteous” (see Am 2:6 ; see also notes on Ps 9:18 ; 34:6 ).

[BACK TO 20:14–18] See Job 3:3–19 . From the heights of exultation (v. 13 ) Jeremiah now sinks to the depths of despair. The irreversibility of his divine call (v. 9 ), the betrayal of his friends (v. 10 ), the relentless pursuit of his enemies (vv. 7 , 11 ), the negative and condemnatory nature of his message (v. 8 )—all have combined to bring to his lips a startling expression of despondency and hopelessness. The passage serves also as a transition to the next major section of the book. Judah and Jerusalem, Jeremiah will soon say, are now irrevocably doomed (see 21:1–10 ).

[BACK TO 20:14] Cursed be the day I was born! See note on Job 3:3 . The prophet questions the very basis of his divine commission (see 1:5 ).

[BACK TO 20:15] News of the birth of a son, normally a blessing in ancient times (see, e.g., Ge 29:31–35 ), Jeremiah sees as a curse in his own case. Cursed be the man. A rhetorical curse, not directed against the man personally.

[BACK TO 20:16] towns the L ORD overthrew. Sodom and Gomorrah (see Ge 19:24–25 , 29 ). By Jeremiah’s time their wickedness had long been proverbial (see 23:14 ; Dt 29:23 ; see also note on Isa 1:9–10 ). battle cry. See 4:19 . at noon. See note on 6:4 .

[BACK TO 20:17] enlarged. Lit. “pregnant.” In his anguish, Jeremiah wishes that his mother’s womb, which gave him birth, had been instead his eternal tomb.

[BACK TO 21:1–24:10] The prophet denounces Judah’s rulers ( 21:1–23:7 ), false prophets ( 23:8–40 ) and sinful people (ch. 24 ). Although for the most part chs. 1–20 relate events in chronological order, chs. 21–52 are arranged on the basis of subject matter rather than chronology (see 24:1 ; 25:1 ; 26:1 ; 27:1 ; 29:2 ; 32:1 ; 35:1 ; 36:1 ; 37:1 ; 45:1 ; 49:34 ; 51:59 ; 52:4 ).

[BACK TO 21:1–23:7] The rulers of Judah, who bear the primary responsibility for the nation’s economic, social and spiritual ills, are the first to be denounced by Jeremiah.

[BACK TO 21:1] The word came. The phrase does not appear again until 25:1 , suggesting that chs. 21–24 constitute an integral section in the book. Zedekiah. Means “The L ORD is my righteousness.” See Introduction: Background . Pashhur son of Malkijah. Not the same as the Pashhur of 20:1–6 (see 38:1 ). the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Not the same as the prophet Zephaniah (see 29:25 , 29 ; 37:3 ; 52:24 ; see also Zep 1:1 ).

[BACK TO 21:2] Inquire … of the L ORD. A request for knowledge or information (see Ge 25:22 ; 2Ki 22:13 ), not necessarily for help. Nebuchadnezzar. See NIV text note; see also chart , and note on 2Ki 24:1 . is attacking. About 588, because the brash Zedekiah had rebelled against Babylon (see 52:3 ). us. Jerusalem. perform wonders … as in times past. For example, in the days of Hezekiah (see Isa 37:36 ). he will withdraw. See Isa 37:37 .

[BACK TO 21:4] turn against you the weapons. Your defense of Jerusalem will fail. Babylonians. See NIV text note; see also note on Job 1:17 . gather them inside this city. Either (1) the weapons, meaning that Judah’s troops would be totally unable to defend the approaches to the city, or (2) the Babylonians, meaning that Jerusalem’s defeat is imminent and inevitable.

[BACK TO 21:5] I myself will fight against you. The Lord, usually his people’s defender, will now destroy them and seal their doom. with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm. See 27:5 ; 32:17 . A similar phrase is used to describe God’s powerful redemption of Israel at the exodus (see 32:21 ; Dt 4:34 ; 5:15 ; 7:19 ; 26:8 ), but here God turns his wrath against his own people. in furious anger and in great wrath. Probably quoted from Dt 29:28 .

[BACK TO 21:7] I will give Zedekiah … his officials and the people … into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Fulfilled in 52:8–11 , 24–27 (see Eze 12:13–14 ). plague , sword and famine. See v. 9 . For this triad, see note on 14:12 . no mercy or pity or compassion. For this triad, see 13:14 ; see also Eze 5:11 . The three triads here heighten the literary effect of the passage.

[BACK TO 21:8–10] See 27:12–13 . Similar advice is offered in 38:2–3 , 17–18 (see Dt 30:15–20 ).

[BACK TO 21:8] See , I am setting before you. See Dt 11:26 . The people are offered a choice, but few of them will make the right decision. the way of life and the way of death. See Dt 30:15 , 19 ; see also Pr 6:23 .

[BACK TO 21:9] Repeated almost verbatim in 38:2 . Jeremiah’s counsel of surrender branded him as a traitor in the eyes of many (see 37:13 ), but he was in fact a true patriot who wanted to stay in Judah even after Jerusalem was destroyed (see 37:14 ; 40:6 ; 42:7–22 ). whoever … surrenders to the Babylonians … will live. Fulfilled in 39:9 ; 52:15 . they will escape with their lives. Lit. “their lives will be their (only) plunder.” The victorious in battle can expect to share plunder; the defeated are fortunate indeed if their lives are spared.

[BACK TO 21:10] determined. Lit. “set my face” (see 44:11 ; Isa 50:7 and note). harm and not good. See Am 9:4 ; contrast 24:6 . It will be given … destroy it with fire. See 34:2 .

[BACK TO 21:12] Administer justice. See 5:28 ; 22:16 ; 1Ki 3:28 ; La 3:59 . The king was obliged and expected to do so, as was the future Messiah (see 23:5 ; 33:15 ). every morning. When the mind is clear and the day is cool (see Ps 101:8 and note). rescue … robbed. Repeated in 22:3 . or my wrath … no one to quench it. Repeated verbatim from 4:4 (see Am 5:6 ). wrath will … burn. See 15:14 ; 17:4 , 27 .

[BACK TO 21:13] valley. Jerusalem, surrounded on three sides by valleys (see note on Isa 22:7 ), is called the “Valley of Vision” in Isa 22:1 , 5 . rocky plateau. Mount Zion. you who say. The pronouns are plural in the second half of the verse (referring to Jerusalem’s inhabitants), singular in the first half (referring to Jerusalem personified). Who can come against us? The people think that no one can successfully lay siege to them (see notes on 7:4 ; 8:19 ).

[BACK TO 21:14] as your deeds deserve. See note on 17:10 . kindle a fire … consume. See note on 17:27 . forests. The Hebrew for this word is singular and perhaps refers figuratively to Jerusalem’s royal palace, called the “Palace of the Forest of Lebanon” ( 1Ki 7:2 ; 10:17 , 21 ; see Isa 22:8 ) because of the cedar (see 22:7 , 14 , 15 , 23 ) used in its construction. The palace (see 22:1 ) is compared to the “summit of Lebanon” in 22:6 (see 22:23 and NIV text note).

[BACK TO 22:1] Go down. The palace was at a lower elevation than the temple (see 26:10 ; 36:10–12 ). king of Judah. Probably Zedekiah (see 21:3 , 7 ; compare v. 3 with 21:12 ), whose predecessors are mentioned in sequence later in the chapter (Josiah, vv. 10a , 15b–16 ; Jehoahaz/Shallum, vv. 10b–12 ; Jehoiakim, vv. 13–15a , 17–19 ; Jehoiachin/Koniah, vv. 24–30 ).

[BACK TO 22:2] David’s throne. Though all the kings of the Davidic dynasty failed to a greater or lesser degree, the victorious Messiah would someday appear as the culmination of David’s royal line (see 23:5 and NIV text note; 33:15 ; Eze 34:23–24 ; Mt 1:1 ). who come through these gates. See 17:25 and note.

[BACK TO 22:3] Contrast Isa 11:3–5 with Eze 22:6–7 .

[BACK TO 22:4] Repeated in part from 17:25 .

[BACK TO 22:5] See 17:27 and note. swear by myself. See notes on Ge 22:16 ; Isa 45:23 ; see also 49:13 ; 51:14 ; cf. 44:26 . become a ruin. Fulfilled in 52:13 (see 27:17 ).

[BACK TO 22:6] Gilead … Lebanon. Renowned for their forests. Lebanon in particular supplied cedar for the royal palace (see note on 21:14 ; see also 1Ki 5:6 , 8–10 ; 7:2–3 ; 10:27 ).

[BACK TO 22:7] send. Lit. “consecrate” (see note on 6:4 ). destroyers. The Babylonians (see note on 4:7 ; see also 12:12 ). each man with his weapons. See Eze 9:2 . cut up your … cedar. Cf. Isa 10:33–34 ; cf. especially the vivid description of the Babylonian troops smashing the carved paneling of the Jerusalem temple with their axes and hatchets ( Ps 74:3–6 ).

[BACK TO 22:8–9] Echoed in 1Ki 9:8–9 ; see Dt 29:24–26 .

[BACK TO 22:9] forsaken the covenant … and served other gods. A gross violation of the first and second stipulations of the Sinaitic covenant (see Ex 20:3–5 and notes).

[BACK TO 22:10] weep for the dead king. Josiah, who was mourned long after his death (see 2Ch 35:24–25 ). him who is exiled. Jehoahaz/Shallum. In 609 BC the Egyptian pharaoh Necho “carried him off to Egypt, and there he died” ( 2Ki 23:34 ).

[BACK TO 22:11] Shallum. See 1Ch 3:15 . Shallum was his personal name, Jehoahaz his throne name (the latter means “The L ORD seizes”).

[BACK TO 22:12] the place where they have led him captive. Egypt (see note on v. 10 ).

[BACK TO 22:13–19] A scathing denunciation of King Jehoiakim, who is described in the third person (vv. 13–14 ), then rhetorically addressed in the second person (vv. 15 , 17 ) and identified by name (v. 18 ), meaning “The L ORD raises up.” Good King Josiah is referred to in vv. 15b–16 by way of contrast.

[BACK TO 22:13] Woe to him who builds. See Hab 2:9 , 12 . by unrighteousness … by injustice. Contrast v. 3 ; 21:12 . upper rooms. See note on Jdg 3:20 . making his own people work for nothing. Contrary to the law (see Lev 25:39 ; Dt 24:14–15 ). Jehoiakim’s refusal to pay them may have been due partly to inability, since Judah was under heavy tribute to Egypt during the early part of his reign (see 2Ki 23:35 ).

[BACK TO 22:14] large windows. The windows described here may well be the same as those found in the ruins of Beth Hakkerem (see 6:1 ; see also note on Ne 3:14 ) by archaeologists in the early 1960s. panels. Haggai similarly deplores the use of paneling as an extravagant and unneeded luxury in certain situations (see Hag 1:4 ).

[BACK TO 22:15] your father. Josiah. have food and drink. Enjoy life (see Ecc 2:24–25 ; 3:12–13 ). did what was right and just. Like his ancestor David (see 2Sa 8:15 ); contrast v. 13 (see note there; see also note on Ps 119:121 ).

[BACK TO 22:16] James defines a proper relationship to God in similar terms ( Jas 1:27 ); contrast 5:28 (see note there). poor and needy. See note on 20:13 . to know me. To love God fully, which results in living a pious life and serving those in need (see Dt 10:12–13 ; Hos 6:6 ; Mic 6:8 ).

[BACK TO 22:17] your. Jehoiakim’s (see v. 18 ). dishonest gain. See 6:13 ; 8:10 . shedding innocent blood. See note on 19:4 ; for an illustration of Jehoiakim’s cruelty in this regard, see 26:20–23 . oppression. See v. 3 ; 6:6 ; 21:12 .

[BACK TO 22:18] Contrast 2Ch 35:24–25 . They will not mourn for him : ‘Alas , my brother!’ Contrast 1Ki 13:30 .

[BACK TO 22:19] burial of a donkey. Tantamount to no burial at all (see 36:30 ); fulfilled in 2Ki 24:6 , where no burial is described and where it says that Jehoiakim “rested with his ancestors,” a euphemism for dying (see notes on Ge 25:8 ; 1Ki 1:21 ). dragged away. See 15:3 .

[BACK TO 22:20–23] The Lord speaks to Jerusalem, which is personified as a woman (see v. 23 ).

[BACK TO 22:20] Lebanon … Bashan … Abarim. Mountainous regions (see v. 6 ; Nu 27:12 ; 33:47–48 ; Dt 32:49 ; Jdg 3:3 ; Ps 68:15 ), the first two in the north and the third in the south, suitable heights from which the whole land of Israel could be rhetorically addressed. allies. Lit. “lovers” (see 4:30 and note), here referring to nations joined together by treaty. Judah’s onetime allies included Egypt, Assyria (see 2:36 ), Edom, Moab, Ammon and Phoenicia (see 27:3 ), all of whom had been—or soon would be—conquered by Babylonia (see 27:6–7 ; 28:14 ). crushed. See 14:17 .

[BACK TO 22:21] not listen … not obeyed me. See 7:22–26 ; 11:7–8 . your youth. The days of Israel’s early history in Egypt (see 2:2 and note; Hos 2:15 ).

[BACK TO 22:22] wind will drive … away. See 13:24 ; Job 27:21 ; Isa 27:8 . shepherds. See 2:8 and note; 10:21 ; 23:1–4 . The initial fulfillment of this verse took place in 597 BC (see 2Ki 24:12–16 ).

[BACK TO 22:23] Lebanon … cedar. See NIV text note; see also 21:14 and note; Eze 17:3–4 , 12 . pain like that of a woman in labor. See 4:19 , 31 and notes.

[BACK TO 22:24–30] A prophecy against King Jehoiachin (fulfilled in 24:1 ; 29:2 ), who was also known as Koniah (see NIV text note on v. 24 ), a shortened form of Jeconiah (see NIV text note on 24:1 ); see Introduction: Background . All three forms of the name mean “The L ORD establishes.”

[BACK TO 22:24] As surely as I live. See note on Ge 42:15 . even if you … were a signet ring. The curse on Jehoiachin is apparently reversed in Hag 2:23 (see note there).

[BACK TO 22:25] deliver you into the hands of … those you fear. Contrast 39:17 .

[BACK TO 22:26] Fulfilled in 597 BC (see 29:2 ; 2Ki 24:15 ). hurl … into another country. Send into exile in Babylonia (see 7:15 ; 16:13 ; Dt 29:28 ). you and the mother who gave you birth. Jehoiachin and Nehushta (see note on 13:18 ).

[BACK TO 22:28] Two rhetorical questions, answered in v. 30 . broken pot … hurled out. Jehoiachin and his descendants, like Judah itself (see 19:10–11 ), are under God’s judgment. he and his children. Though Jehoiachin was only 18 years old at the time of his exile (see 2Ki 24:8 ), he already had more than one wife (see 2Ki 24:15 ) and therefore probably one or more children.

[BACK TO 22:29] land , land , land. The repetition implies the strongest possible emphasis and intensity (see 7:4 and note; 23:30–32 ; Isa 6:3 and note; Eze 21:27 ).

[BACK TO 22:30] as if childless. Not in the sense of Jehoiachin’s having no children at all (he had at least seven; see 1Ch 3:17–18 ), but of having none to sit on the throne of David in Judah. Jehoiachin’s grandson Zerubbabel ( 1Ch 3:17–19 ; Mt 1:12 ) became governor of Judah (see Hag 1:1 ), but not king. Zedekiah was a son of Josiah (see 37:1 ), not of Jehoiachin, and he and his sons died before the latter (see 52:10–11 ). Jehoiachin therefore was Judah’s last surviving Davidic king—until Christ.

[BACK TO 23:1–8] A summary statement (probably dating to Zedekiah’s reign; see note on v. 6 ) that includes God’s intention to judge the wicked rulers and leaders of Judah (vv. 1–2 ), to ultimately bring his people back from exile (vv. 3–4 , 7–8 ) and to raise up an ideal Davidic King (vv. 5–6 ).

[BACK TO 23:1] See 10:21 and note. sheep. The people of Judah (see v. 2 ).

[BACK TO 23:2] bestowed care … bestow punishment. The same Hebrew root underlies both phrases (see v. 4 and note). What Judah’s rulers had failed to do is summarized in Eze 34:4 .

[BACK TO 23:3] remnant. See note on 6:9 . I have driven. Although Judah’s sins and the sins of her leaders had caused the people to be “driven … away” (v. 2 ) into exile, the Lord himself ultimately carried out the results of their repeated violations of their covenant commitments. be fruitful and increase. See note on Ge 1:28 .

[BACK TO 23:4] be afraid … terrified. The absence of a concerned shepherd invites attacks by wild animals (see Eze 34:8 ). be missing. See Nu 31:49 . The Hebrew root underlying this phrase is the same as that for “bestowed care” and “bestow punishment” in v. 2 (see note there).

[BACK TO 23:5–6] One of the most important Messianic passages in Jeremiah, echoed in 33:15–16 .

[BACK TO 23:5] raise up. See 2Sa 7:12 ; see also 30:9 ; Eze 34:23–24 ; 37:24 . The Hebrew for this phrase is translated “place” in v. 4 . for David. See NIV text note; see also Mt 1:1 and NIV text note. The Messiah, unlike any previous descendant of David, would be the ideal King. He would sum up in himself all the finest qualities of the best rulers, and infinitely more. Branch. A Messianic title (see notes on Isa 4:2 ; 11:1 ; Zec 3:8 ; 6:12 ). The Targum (ancient Aramaic paraphrase) reads “Messiah” here. reign wisely. See note on Isa 52:13 . do what is just and right. See 22:3 , 15 and note on 22:15 ; said also of King David (see 2Sa 8:15 ).

[BACK TO 23:6] Judah … and Israel. God’s reunited people will be restored (see 31:31 and note; Eze 37:15–22 ). be saved … live in safety. The deliverance will be both spiritual and physical (see Dt 33:28–29 ). The L ORD Our Righteous Savior. Although Zedekiah did not live up to the meaning of his name, “The L ORD is my righteousness,” the Messiah would bestow on his people the abundant blessings (see Eze 34:25–31 ) that come from the hands of a King who does “what is just and right” (v. 5 ).

[BACK TO 23:7–8] Repeated almost verbatim from 16:14–15 (see notes there).

[BACK TO 23:9–40] False prophets denounced (see 2:8 ; 4:9 ; 5:30–31 ; 6:13–15 ; 8:10–12 ; 14:13–15 ; 18:18–23 ; 26:8 , 11 , 16 ; 27–28 ; Isa 28:7–13 ; Eze 13 ; Mic 3:5–12 ).

[BACK TO 23:9] Concerning. Introduces headings also in 46:2 ; 48:1 ; 49:1 , 7 , 23 , 28 . his holy words. Contrast the unholy words of the false prophets (see vv. 16–18 ).

[BACK TO 23:10] See Isa 24:4–6 . adulterers. See 5:7–8 ; 9:2 and notes. curse. Brought on by violating the Lord’s covenant (see 11:3 and note; 11:8 ). parched … withered. See 12:4 and note. To worship other gods is to deny to the land the fertility that only the Lord can bring (see Hos 2:5–8 , 21–22 ; Am 4:4–9 ). pastures in the wilderness. See note on 9:10 . evil course. Evil because it is their own and not God’s (see 8:6 ).

[BACK TO 23:11] even in my temple … wickedness. For examples, see 32:34 ; 2Ki 16:10–14 ; 21:5 ; Eze 8:5 , 10 , 14 , 16 .

[BACK TO 23:12] their path will become slippery … banished to darkness. See Ps 35:5–6 ; see also Ps 73:18 .

[BACK TO 23:13] prophesied by Baal. See 2:8 and note; see also 1Ki 18:19–40 .

[BACK TO 23:14] They … live a lie. See 14:13 and note; cf. 1Jn 1:6 . strengthen the hands of. The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated “encouraged” in Eze 13:22 . not one of them turns from their wickedness. See Eze 13:22 . like Sodom … like Gomorrah. See note on 20:16 .

[BACK TO 23:15] I will make … poisoned water. Repeated almost verbatim from 9:15 (see note there). ungodliness. See v. 11 .

[BACK TO 23:16] visions. “Revelations” or “prophecies” (see 1Sa 3:1 ; Pr 29:18 ; Isa 1:1 ; Ob 1 and notes). from their own minds. See v. 26 ; 14:14 . False prophets are like preachers of a “different gospel” ( Gal 1:6–9 ).

[BACK TO 23:17] You will have peace. The essential message of the false prophets (see 6:14 and note; 8:11 ; 14:13 and note; cf. 28:8–9 ). stubbornness of their hearts. See note on 3:17 .

[BACK TO 23:18] council of the L ORD. God’s heavenly confidants (see v. 22 ; Job 15:7–10 and note; see also 1Ki 22:19–22 ; Job 1:6 ; 2:1 ; 29:4 and note; Ps 89:7 ). In Am 3:7 the Hebrew for “council” is translated “plan,” the purposes that God has promised to reveal to his chosen servants (see v. 20 ).

[BACK TO 23:19–20] Repeated almost verbatim in 30:23–24 .

[BACK TO 23:19] storm … whirlwind. A vivid image of God’s wrath.

[BACK TO 23:20] you will understand it clearly. Unlike the false prophets, who continued to mislead their hearers even in Babylonia after the exile of 597 BC (see 29:20–23 ).

[BACK TO 23:21] I did not send. See v. 32 ; 29:9 ; contrast 1:7 ; Isa 6:8 ; Eze 3:5 . did not speak to them. See 29:23 .

[BACK TO 23:22] my council. See note on v. 18 .

[BACK TO 23:23] God nearby … God far away. God is both immanent and transcendent; he lives “in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is … lowly in spirit” ( Isa 57:15 ).

[BACK TO 23:24] hide … so that I cannot see them. See Job 26:6 ; Ps 139:7–12 ; Am 9:2–4 . I fill heaven and earth. See Isa 66:1 .

[BACK TO 23:25] lies. See 5:12 . in my name. See Dt 18:20 , 22 . dream. An infrequent mode of divine revelation to a true prophet (see 27:9 ; Dt 13:1–3 ; 1Sa 28:6 ; Zec 10:2 ; but cf. Nu 12:6 ; Joel 2:28 ).

[BACK TO 23:26] hearts … minds. The Hebrew is the same for both words (see note on Ps 4:7 ). their own minds. See note on v. 16 .

[BACK TO 23:27] my name. To forget the Lord’s name is tantamount to forgetting him (see note on Ps 5:11 ). forgot … through Baal worship. When Judah’s ancestors forgot God, they began to serve Baal (see Jdg 3:7 ; 1Sa 12:9–10 ). forgot. See Ps 9:17 and note.

[BACK TO 23:28–29] The true word of God is symbolized in three figures of speech (grain, fire, hammer).

[BACK TO 23:28] straw … grain. Of the two, only grain can feed and nourish (see note on 15:16 ).

[BACK TO 23:29] like fire. See note on 20:9 . The fire of the divine word ultimately tests “the quality of each person’s work” ( 1Co 3:13 ; see note there). like a hammer. Similarly, the divine word works relentlessly, like a sword or hammer, to judge “the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” ( Heb 4:12 ; see note there).

[BACK TO 23:30–32] I am against. The threefold statement is for emphasis (see note on 22:29 ).

[BACK TO 23:31] prophets who … declare. False prophets are claiming that their own prophecies are the messages of God. The Hebrew for this verb is used only here with someone other than God as the subject. The phrase “declares the L ORD ” or its equivalent occurs hundreds of times in the OT, more frequently in Jeremiah (over 175 times) than in any other book.

[BACK TO 23:32] did not send. See v. 21 and note.

[BACK TO 23:33] message. The Hebrew for this word can also mean “burden,” a term that may refer to a burdensome message from the Lord (see, e.g., Na 1:1 ).

[BACK TO 23:36] The three divine titles at the end of the verse enhance the solemnity of what is being said. living God. See 10:10 ; Dt 5:26 .

[BACK TO 23:39] forget. The Hebrew for this word is a pun on the Hebrew for the word “message” in vv. 33–34 , 36 , 38 —by which Jeremiah highlights his word of judgment. the city. Jerusalem.

[BACK TO 23:40] Echoed from 20:11 .

[BACK TO 24:1–10] See Am 8:1–3 . Having denounced Judah’s leaders ( 21:1–23:8 ) and false prophets ( 23:9–40 ), Jeremiah now describes the division of Judah’s people into good and bad ( 24:1–3 ) and summarizes the Lord’s determination to restore the good (vv. 4–7 ) but destroy the bad (vv. 8–10 ).

[BACK TO 24:1] Jehoiachin … and the officials … were carried into exile. In 597 BC. skilled workers and the artisans. See 29:2 ; 2Ki 24:14 , 16 . Only the poorest and weakest people were left behind in Judah (see 2Ki 24:14 ; for the later period [586], cf. Jer 39:10 ). the L ORD showed me. A common way of introducing prophetic visions (see Am 7:1 , 4 , 7 ). figs. See note on 8:13 . placed. The Hebrew root underlying this word is translated “meet” in Ex 29:42–43 . As the Lord desired to “meet” with the Israelites at the entrance to the tabernacle, so the figs (symbolizing the people of Judah) would be “met” by him in front of the Jerusalem temple.

[BACK TO 24:2] very good figs … that ripen early. The first figs in June are especially juicy and delicious (see Isa 28:4 ; Hos 9:10 ; Mic 7:1 ; Na 3:12 ). See photo above.

[BACK TO 24:3] What do you see … ? See note on 1:11 .

[BACK TO 24:5–6] Just as good figs should be protected and preserved by their owner, so also the exiles of 597 BC , who were the best of Judah’s leaders and craftsmen (see 2Ki 24:14–16 ), would be watched over and cared for by the Lord (see 29:4–14 ). See photo .

[BACK TO 24:6] My eyes will watch over them for their good. Contrast the word of judgment in Am 9:4 . bring them back. In 538/537 BC. build them up … tear them down … plant … uproot. See 1:10 and note.

[BACK TO 24:7] a heart to know me. For a more comprehensive prediction including the same promise, see 31:31–34 . my people … their God. The classic statement of covenant relationship (see 31:33 ; 32:38 ; see also notes on 7:23 ; Ge 17:7 ; Zec 8:8 ). with all their heart. See 29:13 .

[BACK TO 24:8] live in Egypt. Perhaps those deported with Jehoahaz in 609 BC (see 22:10b–12 and notes; 2Ki 23:31–34 ) and/or those who fled to Egypt after the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians in the battle of Carchemish in 605 (see 46:2 ).

[BACK TO 24:9] abhorrent … to all the kingdoms. See 34:17 . reproach … object of ridicule. See Dt 28:37 . byword. See notes on 1Ki 9:7 ; Job 17:6 .

[BACK TO 24:10] sword , famine and plague. See note on 14:12 . destroyed from the land. In 586 BC (see 52:4–27 ).

[BACK TO 25:1–29:32] The dominant theme in chs. 25–29 is the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem and exile to Babylonia in 586 BC (hinted at briefly in 24:10 ).

[BACK TO 25:1–38] Divine judgment will descend not only on Judah but on “all the surrounding nations” (v. 9 ) as well (see notes on 46:1–51:64 ; Isa 13:1–23:18 ; Am 1:3–2:16 ; 5:18 ; Mic 1:2 ; Zep 2:4–3:8 ).

[BACK TO 25:1] fourth year of Jehoiakim … first year of Nebuchadnezzar. The synchronism yields the date 605 BC (see note on Da 1:1 ).

[BACK TO 25:3] twenty-three years. Nineteen under Josiah and four under Jehoiakim (see v. 1 ). thirteenth year of Josiah. 626 BC (or possibly as early as 627); see 1:2 . again and again. See v. 4 ; see also note on 7:13 . you have not listened. Jeremiah, now halfway through his prophetic ministry, had been warned at the time of his call that the people of Judah would oppose him (see 1:17–19 ).

[BACK TO 25:4] Echoed from 7:25–26 ; see also 35:15 . his servants the prophets. See note on 7:25 .

[BACK TO 25:5] stay in the land the L ORD gave … your ancestors for ever and ever. Echoed from 7:7 ; see Ge 17:8 and note.

[BACK TO 25:6] arouse my anger. See 7:18 ; Dt 31:29 . what your hands have made. Idols (see note on 1:16 ).

[BACK TO 25:7] brought harm to yourselves. See 7:6 .

[BACK TO 25:9] peoples of the north. Babylonia and her allies (see 1:15 and note). my servant Nebuchadnezzar. See 27:6 ; 43:10 . “Servant” is used here not in the sense of “worshiper” but of “vassal” or “agent of judgment,” just as the pagan ruler Cyrus is called the Lord’s “shepherd” in Isa 44:28 and his “anointed” in Isa 45:1 . this land. Judah. surrounding nations. Named in vv. 19–26 . completely destroy. See NIV text note; 50:21 , 26 ; 51:3 ; see also note on Dt 2:34 . object of horror and scorn. See note on 18:16 . everlasting ruin. See 49:13 ; Ps 74:3 ; Isa 58:12 and note.

[BACK TO 25:11–12] seventy years. This round number (as in Ps 90:10 ; Isa 23:15 ) represents the period from 605 (see notes on v. 1 ; Da 1:1 ) to 538/537 BC , which marked the beginning of Judah’s return from exile (see 2Ch 36:20–23 ; see also notes on Da 9:1–2 ). The 70 years of Zec 1:12 are not necessarily the same as those here and in 29:10 . They probably represent the period from 586 (when Solomon’s temple was destroyed) to 516 (when Zerubbabel’s temple was completed). See note on Zec 7:5 .

[BACK TO 25:11] This … country … and these nations. Judah and the nations named in vv. 19–26 .

[BACK TO 25:12] punish the king … and his nation. See 50:18 . The city of Babylon was captured by the Medes and Persians in 539 BC (near the end of Jeremiah’s 70 years; see note on vv. 11–12 ). for their guilt. See 50:11 , 31–32 ; 51:6 , 49 , 53 , 56 ; Isa 13:19 . make it desolate forever. See 50:12–13 ; 51:26 ; see also note on Isa 13:20 .

[BACK TO 25:13] book. After this word, the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) inserts the material found in chs. 46–51 , though rearranged.

[BACK TO 25:14] many nations. Media, Persia and their allies. great kings. Cyrus and his associates. repay them according to their deeds. See 50:29 ; 51:24 ; Pr 26:27 and note.

[BACK TO 25:15] cup filled with the wine of my wrath. Symbolic of divine judgment, especially against wicked nations (see Isa 51:17 and note; see also Jer 51:7 ; Rev 18:6 ). nations to whom I send you. See 1:5 and note.

[BACK TO 25:16] stagger and go mad. See 13:12–14 and notes; Rev 14:8 . because of the sword. As the sting of wine causes people to stagger, so the stroke of the sword causes them to fall, never to rise again (see v. 27 ).

[BACK TO 25:17] A symbolic description of Jeremiah’s announcement of divine judgment against the nations.

[BACK TO 25:18] Jerusalem and … Judah. God’s own people are to be judged first (see v. 29 ; see also Eze 9:6 ; 1Pe 4:17 ). its kings. See note on 17:20 . ruin … horror … scorn … curse. See vv. 9 , 11 ; 18:16 ; 19:8 .

[BACK TO 25:19–26] The roster of nations begins with Egypt and ends with Babylonia, as in chs. 46–51 ; but Damascus (see 49:23–27 ) is omitted, and a few other regions are added.

[BACK TO 25:19] Egypt. See 46:2–28 .

[BACK TO 25:20] foreign people. See v. 24 ; Ne 13:3 . Uz. See note on Job 1:1 . Philistines. See ch. 47 ; see also note on Ge 10:14 . Ashkelon , Gaza , Ekron. See note on Jdg 1:18 ; see also map . people left at Ashdod. According to the Greek historian Herodotus (2.157), the Egyptian pharaoh Psammetichus I (664–610 BC ) destroyed Ashdod after a long siege. By Nehemiah’s time it was inhabited again (see note on Ne 4:7 ). The fifth main Philistine city, Gath (see Jos 13:3 ), though important earlier (see, e.g., 1Sa 21:10–12 ), was destroyed and apparently not rebuilt (in later centuries it is not mentioned with the other four cities; see Am 1:6–8 ; Zep 2:4 ; Zec 9:5–6 ).

[BACK TO 25:21–22] See 27:3–5 .

[BACK TO 25:21] Edom. See 49:7–22 ; see also note on Ge 36:1 . Moab and Ammon. See 48:1–49:6 ; see also note on Ge 19:36–38 .

[BACK TO 25:22] Tyre and Sidon. See 47:4 ; see also notes on Isa 23:1–2 , 4 , 12 . coastlands across the sea. Mediterranean islands and maritime regions, some of them Phoenician colonies (see Eze 27:15 ; Da 11:18 and notes).

[BACK TO 25:23] Dedan. See 49:8 ; see also notes on Isa 21:13 ; Eze 25:13 . Tema. See note on Isa 21:14 . Buz. A desert region in the east. who are in distant places. See note on 9:26 .

[BACK TO 25:24] Arabia. See 49:28–33 . foreign people. See v. 20 ; Ne 13:3 . The same Hebrew root underlies “Arabia” and “foreign people.”

[BACK TO 25:25] Zimri. Not to be confused with the Israelite king of that name, Zimri is perhaps the same as Zimran, whom Keturah bore to Abraham (see Ge 25:1–2 ). The region known as Zimri would then have been named after him. Elam. See 49:34–39 ; see also note on Ge 10:22 . Media. Later to join the Persians in conquering Babylon (see 51:11 , 28 ; see also note on Isa 13:17 ).

[BACK TO 25:26] Sheshak. See NIV text note. The cryptogram is formed by substituting the first consonant of the Hebrew alphabet for the last, the second for the next-to-last, etc. Its purpose is not fully understood, though in some cases the cryptogram itself bears a suitable meaning (see note on 51:1 ). will drink it too. The Lord’s agents of judgment are not themselves exempt from his judgment (see 51:48–49 ).

[BACK TO 25:27] fall … because of the sword. See note on v. 16 .

[BACK TO 25:29] beginning. See note on v. 18 . city that bears my Name. Jerusalem (see note on 7:10 ). sword. See note on 12:12 .

[BACK TO 25:30] The L ORD will roar … thunder. An echo of Joel 3:16 ; Am 1:2 (see note there; see also Hos 11:10 ; Am 3:8 ). his land. Judah. shout like those who tread the grapes. See Isa 9:3 ; 16:9–10 ; 63:3 and note; see also Isa 16:10 and note.

[BACK TO 25:31] tumult. The sounds of war (see Am 2:2 ). bring charges … bring judgment. See note on 2:9 ; see also 2:35 ; 12:1 .

[BACK TO 25:32] mighty storm … from the ends of the earth. The wrath of God (see 23:19 ), mediated through the coming Babylonian invasion (see note on Isa 41:25 ).

[BACK TO 25:33] not be mourned … like dung lying on the ground. Repeated from 8:2 (see note there); 16:4 .

[BACK TO 25:34–36] shepherds … leaders of the flock. See 2:8 and note; 10:21 ; 22:22 ; Eze 34:2 and note.

[BACK TO 25:34] roll in the dust. Or “roll in ashes” (as in 6:26 ). your time … has come. See La 4:18 . fall like the best of the rams. See NIV text note. For the reading given there, cf. the description of Jehoiachin in 22:28 .

[BACK TO 25:36] their pasture. The land of Judah.

[BACK TO 26:1–24] A summary (vv. 2–6 )—and its results (vv. 7–24 )—of one of Jeremiah’s temple messages in ch. 7 (see note on 7:1–10:25 ).

[BACK TO 26:1] Early in the reign. See 27:1 . The Babylonian equivalent of the Hebrew for this phrase implies that the first year of King Jehoiakim (609–608 BC ) is probably meant.

[BACK TO 26:2] courtyard of the L ORD ’s house. Perhaps near the New Gate (see v. 10 ; see also note on 7:2 ). who come to worship. See 7:2 and note. do not omit a word. See Dt 4:2 and note.

[BACK TO 26:3] See 7:3 , 5–7 . relent. See vv. 13 , 19 ; see also notes on 4:28 ; 18:7–10 .

[BACK TO 26:4] If you do not listen. See v. 5 ; 7:13 . my law. See 7:6 , 9 and notes.

[BACK TO 26:5] See 7:13 , 25–26 . my servants the prophets. See note on 7:25 . again and again. See note on 7:13 .

[BACK TO 26:6] make this house like Shiloh. See v. 9 ; see also note on 7:12 . this city. Jerusalem. curse. See NIV text note and 24:9 ; 25:18 ; see also note on Zec 8:13 .

[BACK TO 26:8] You must die! A similar phrase describes the ultimate penalty for gross violations of the law of Moses (see, e.g., Ex 21:15–17 ; Lev 24:16–17 , 21 ; Dt 18:20 ; cf. 1Ki 21:13 ).

[BACK TO 26:9] crowded around. With hostile intent (see Nu 16:3 ).

[BACK TO 26:10] officials of Judah. Those responsible for making legal decisions concerning disputes taking place in the temple precincts. The priests and (false) prophets, who had a vested interest in Jerusalem and its temple, felt that Jeremiah should be sentenced to death because he was predicting the destruction of both the city and the Lord’s house (see vv. 8–9 , 11 ). After hearing Jeremiah’s defense (vv. 12–15 ), the officials decided in his favor (v. 16 ). The people, fickle and easily swayed, first opposed Jeremiah (vv. 8–9 ), then supported him (v. 16 ). New Gate. See 36:10 ; possibly the same as the “Upper Gate of Benjamin” (see 20:2 and note).

[BACK TO 26:11] Jeremiah’s enemies judge him before he has a chance to defend himself (cf. Dt 19:6 ; Jos 20:1–9 and note).

[BACK TO 26:12] The L ORD sent me. Contrast 23:21 .

[BACK TO 26:13] reform your ways and your actions. Repeated from 7:3 (see also 18:11 ; 35:15 ). relent. See vv. 3 , 19 ; see also notes on 4:28 ; 18:7–10 .

[BACK TO 26:15] innocent blood. See 7:6 and note; see also Mt 27:24–25 ; Ac 5:28 .

[BACK TO 26:16] Contrast v. 11 ; see note on v. 10 .

[BACK TO 26:17] elders. See 19:1 and note.

[BACK TO 26:18–19] The elders cite the precedent of Micah, who lived a century earlier and who (together with Isaiah) convinced King Hezekiah to pray for forgiveness on behalf of his people. The Lord answered the prayers of the king and the prophets, and in 701 BC Jerusalem and the temple were spared (see Isa 37:33–37 ).

[BACK TO 26:18] Micah of Moresheth. See Introduction to Micah: Author . Zion will be plowed … overgrown with thickets. Quoted verbatim from Mic 3:12 (see note there)—the only place in the OT where one prophet quotes another and identifies his source.

[BACK TO 26:19] seek his favor. Lit. “stroke his face” (cf. Ps 119:58 ), “pat his cheek.” See Ex 32:11 ; 1Sa 13:12 ; 2Ki 13:4 . relent. See vv. 3 , 13 ; see also notes on 4:28 ; 18:7–10 .

[BACK TO 26:20–23] A parenthesis, cited as an example of the contrast between how a good king, Hezekiah, treated the Lord’s prophets and how a wicked king, Jehoiakim, was known to have treated them.

[BACK TO 26:20] Uriah. Not mentioned elsewhere in the OT, though it has been claimed (but not substantiated) that he appears in one of the Lachish ostraca (see note on 34:7 ; see also chart ).

[BACK TO 26:21] officers. Lit. “strong men” (perhaps the royal bodyguard). Uriah … fled … to Egypt. A fatal mistake, for now he could be accused of treason and sedition.

[BACK TO 26:22] Elnathan son of Akbor. One of King Jehoiakim’s highest officials (see 36:12 ), he was impressed on another occasion by Jeremiah’s prophecies (see 36:16 ), “urged the king not to burn” Jeremiah’s scroll ( 36:25 ), and warned the prophet to hide (see 36:19 ). An Elnathan (perhaps the same man) was Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (see 2Ki 24:6 , 8 ). An Akbor (perhaps the father of this Elnathan) was one of King Josiah’s officials (see 2Ki 22:12 , 14 ; see also note on v. 24 ).

[BACK TO 26:23] brought Uriah out of Egypt. Mutual rights of extradition were a part of the treaty imposed on Judah by Egypt when Jehoiakim became the vassal of the Egyptian pharaoh Necho II (see 2Ki 23:34–35 ). Jehoiakim … had him struck down. Apart from divine intervention, Jeremiah probably would have fallen victim to the same fate (see 36:26 ). burial place of the common people. See note on 17:19 . Commoners were buried in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (see 2Ki 23:6 ).

[BACK TO 26:24] Ahikam son of Shaphan. One of King Josiah’s officials (see 2Ki 22:12 , 14 ), along with an Akbor who may have been the father of the Elnathan in v. 22 (see note there). Ahikam was also the father of Gedaliah, who would become governor of Judah after Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC (see 40:5 ) and who also befriended Jeremiah (see 39:14 ). supported Jeremiah. Ahikam’s high position in Jehoiakim’s court was doubtless instrumental in saving the prophet’s life.

[BACK TO 27:1–29:32] Further attempts by Jeremiah to counteract the teachings of false prophets, who were claiming that Babylon’s doom was near and that rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar was therefore warranted and desirable.

[BACK TO 27:1–22] Jeremiah tells the nations (vv. 3–11 ), King Zedekiah (vv. 12–15 ) and the priests and people of Judah (vv. 16–22 ) to submit to the Babylonian yoke.

[BACK TO 27:1] Early in the reign. See note on 26:1 . In this case, however, the phrase has been extended in meaning to include Zedekiah’s fourth year (593 BC ; see 28:1 ).

[BACK TO 27:2] yoke. Of the kind worn by oxen (see note on Eze 34:27 ), it was a symbol of political submission (see vv. 8 , 11–12 ; Lev 26:13 ). That Jeremiah actually wore such a yoke for a time is clear from 28:10 , 12 .

[BACK TO 27:3] send word. In his role as a “prophet to the nations” ( 1:5 ). Edom , Moab , Ammon. Lands east and south of Judah (see 25:21 and note). Tyre and Sidon. Prominent cities in Phoenicia, north of Judah (see 25:22 and note). envoys … have come … to Zedekiah. Perhaps to discuss rebellion against Babylonia. They may have counted on support from Egypt, where Psammetichus II had become pharaoh in 595 BC. Zedekiah went to Babylon in 593 (see 51:59 ), perhaps to be interrogated by Nebuchadnezzar. In any case, Zedekiah rebelled against him (see 52:3 ).

[BACK TO 27:5] great power and outstretched arm. See note on 21:5 .

[BACK TO 27:6] my servant Nebuchadnezzar. See note on 25:9 . make … wild animals subject to him. Nothing would be beyond the reach of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion (see 28:14 ; Da 2:38 ).

[BACK TO 27:7] him … his son … his grandson. Three generations of rulers, not necessarily in direct father-son relationships (see note on Da 5:1 ; see also NIV text notes on Ge 10:2 , 8 ). time for his land comes. Babylonia will be judged (see note on 25:26 ). many nations and great kings. See note on 25:14 .

[BACK TO 27:8] yoke. See note on v. 2 . sword , famine and plague. See note on 14:12 . until I destroy. See 9:16 ; 24:10 .

[BACK TO 27:9] See 29:8 . your prophets. False prophets. diviners … mediums … sorcerers. Forbidden in Israel (see Lev 19:26 ; Dt 18:10–11 and note on 18:9 ). interpreters of dreams. Including prophets and diviners (see 23:25–28 ; 29:8 ).

[BACK TO 27:10] prophesy lies. See note on 5:31 ; cf. 2Ti 4:3–4 .

[BACK TO 27:11] yoke. See note on v. 2 . serve … till. The Hebrew underlying both words is the same (“work” is the common denominator in serving and tilling).

[BACK TO 27:12] your neck … serve … live. The Hebrew for all these words is plural, since Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah as well as to Zedekiah (see v. 13 ). yoke. See note on v. 2 .

[BACK TO 27:13] See v. 8 . sword , famine and plague. See note on 14:12 .

[BACK TO 27:14] See vv. 9–10 .

[BACK TO 27:15] See 14:14 ; 23:21 and note.

[BACK TO 27:16] prophets who say , ‘Very soon now …’ As the prophet Hananiah was saying (see 28:1–3 ). articles from the L ORD ’s house. Some were carried off to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (see Da 1:1–2 ), others in 597 (see 2Ki 24:13 ). Still others would be carried off in 586 (see vv. 21–22 ; 52:17–23 ).

[BACK TO 27:18] If they are prophets … let them plead. If they are true prophets and in communion with the Lord, let them intercede for Judah, because the Lord has announced his intention to judge the nation.

[BACK TO 27:19] the pillars , the bronze Sea , the movable stands. See 52:17 ; see also 1Ki 7:15–37 and notes.

[BACK TO 27:22] They will be taken to Babylon. In 586 BC (see 52:17–23 ). I will bring them back. In 538/537 and shortly afterward (see Ezr 1:7–11 ).

[BACK TO 28:1–17] The true prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet Hananiah.

[BACK TO 28:1] fourth year … of Zedekiah. 593 BC. early in the reign. See notes on 26:1 ; 27:1 . prophet. The word is used for all prophets, whether true (vv. 5 , 10–12 , 15 ) or false (vv. 1 , 5 , 10 , 12 , 15 , 17 ). Hananiah. Means “The L ORD is gracious,” an appropriate name for a prophet who believed strongly (though mistakenly) that the Lord would soon bring back the exiles of Judah and the temple articles (see vv. 3–4 , 11 ). Gibeon. See 41:12 , 16 ; see also note on Jos 9:3 .

[BACK TO 28:2] This is what the L ORD … says. See v. 11 . Though a false prophet, Hananiah claims to have the same authority as Jeremiah (see vv. 13–14 , 16 ; see also 23:31 ). yoke. See note on 27:2 .

[BACK TO 28:3] Hananiah’s prediction directly contradicts the words of Jeremiah (see 27:16–22 and notes). two years. See v. 11 . Contrast Jeremiah’s 70 years ( 25:11–12 ; 29:10 ).

[BACK TO 28:4] bring back. Contradicting Jeremiah’s prophecy (see 22:24–27 ), which was fulfilled (see 52:34 ). Jehoiachin … went to Babylon. In 597 BC. yoke. See note on 27:2 .

[BACK TO 28:6] See 1Ki 1:36 . Amen. See 11:5 and note. May the L ORD fulfill. One of the signs of true prophecy (see v. 9 ; see also Dt 18:21–22 and note). For another sign (or test), see Dt 13:1–5 and note.

[BACK TO 28:7] Nevertheless. Though in sympathy with what Hananiah is predicting, Jeremiah reminds him that their true predecessors were basically prophets of doom (see v. 8 ).

[BACK TO 28:8] war , disaster and plague. An appropriate modification of Jeremiah’s usual triad (see note on 14:12 ).

[BACK TO 28:9] peace. Ordinarily the message of false prophets (see 6:14 and note).