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| .1
¶ O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the
midst of Jerusalem, and .blow the trumpet
in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth
out of the north, and great destruction.
.2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. .3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place. |
1
- Children of Benjamin Descendants of Judah also lived there
and may have been in the majority jos1563.
The city was originally in the territory of Benjamin jos1508.
Jeremiah was from Analoth in the area of Benjamin and the message may have
been delivered there. Or the message may have been directed to the descendants
of Benjamin in contrast to the messages unheeded by Judah. Analoth was
NE of Jerusalem. See map.
2 - Likened The word is from damah and may also be translated "destroy" as ho0405. This woman of Zion may also be seen as people who follow or claim to follow the true God. |
| .4
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us!
for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces. |
4 - Prepare Literally "sanctify." Before war, the Chaldeans called on pagan gods and offered sacrifices ez2121. The Israelites acted similarly de2001, 1sa1309. |
| .6
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount
against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression
in the midst of her.
7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds. 8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. |
6
- Lord of hosts That is, "Lord of armies." jos0514,
ps02410.
Here He sends the hosts to attack Jerusalem.
8 - Depart From yaqa' meaning, to turn one's back. God did not want to leave His people but they had rejected Him. ez2318, ho0912, ho1108. |
| .9 ¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. | Remnant
of Israel The Northern Kingdom (Israel) had long before rebelled
against God and had been taken captive.
Turn back thine hand People repeatedly taken captive. je5228, 2ki2414, 2ki2511. |
| .10
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their
ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the
LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
.11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. .12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. |
10
- To whom No one seemed to listen.
11 - Fury Zeal for the cause of God. See je0419, ez0303. 11 - Assembly From Hebrew sod. See on jb1508. |
| .13
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is
given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every
one dealeth falsely.
.14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. |
13
- Prophet ... priest A situation of serious apostasy.
14 - Slightly In modern English, "superficially." 14 - Peace Hebrew shalom meaning all good things, especially peace. Those claiming to be prophets were predicting a bright future je0811, je1413, je2317. Cf mi0305. This was in harmony with their sinful attitude. Jeremiah repeatedly warned of the coming devastation v1. Their prophecies, no doubt, made him appear unreliable. Perhaps that objective spurred them on. Our world leaders today hope for peace but there will be no peace before Jesus returns mr1307. |
| .16
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old
paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 18 ¶ Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. 20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. |
16
- Ask for the old paths Now, near the end of time we, too,
may ask for the old paths. Modern religion has drifted from many of the
the plain teachings of the Bible.
16 - Rest In time of trouble, we may have peace with the Lord! 20 - To what purpose How easy it is for us to have a false sense of value. When faced with eternal consequences, will what we value now be worth anything? |
| .21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish. | 21 - Stumblingblocks Because they chose deception 2th0210. |
| .22
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and
a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion. |
22
- North country See je0114,
je0406.
22 - Raised From 'ur, set into activity. 22 - Sides of the earth From remote places je2532. Compare je0515. 23 - Daughter of Zion See on v2. 23 - Cruel Used torture. Compare how Zedekiah was treated je5208-11. 23 - Roareth As the sea is0530, is1712. |
| .24
We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken
hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
.25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side. .26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. |
24
- Fame They had heard about this force as the nations of
Canaan heard about the children of Israel.
26 - Sackcloth ... ashes See 2sa1319, ne0901. Job sat in ashes jb0208, jb4206, jn0305,6. |
| .27
I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest
know and try their way.
.28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. 29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. .30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them. |
27
- Thee The Lord addresses Jeremiah. This is clear from the
Hebrew pronoun which is masculine. Confirmation of Prophets and Kings,
p.
419.
27 - Tower From bachon The word should be translated "examiner." 27 - Fortress From mibsar, "a place made unapproachable, hence a fortified city. Jeremiah would be attacked but he was to stand firm defending the word of the Lord. 27 - Try From bachan, to examine or test as in the process of refining a metal. See verse 30. 29 - Not plucked away All the Lord's efforts to purify His people have resulted only in useless material. 30 - Reprobate ... rejected Both words are from the same Hebrew root ma'as. Their use here indicates an emphasis. Using the noun and the verb in a similar way we could say that the rejects are rejected. |
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