4.

hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be chap. 16. lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

s chap. 4.

8.

& 6. 26.

34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for

32.

a great whirlwind] Or, storm, ch. xxiii. 19.

the coasts of the earth] Translated sides of the earth in ch. vi. 22, where see note. The thunderstorm seen first on the edge of the horizon overspreads the heaven, and travels

from nation to nation in its destructive course.

33. they shall not be lamented] See ch. viii, 2, xvi. 4.

34. wallow yourselves in the ashes] Rather, roll yourselves on the ground. The words in the ashes were probably added because found in the Hebr. in ch. vi. 26, but they are unsuitable here.

ye principal of the flock] Lit. the strong ones of the flock, the best and fattest of the sheep (Ewald), not those rich in sheep (Umbreit), and still less the captains of the sheep (Gesenius), i.e. "the rulers."

and of your dispersions] Rather, and I will scatter you. See Note at end of Chapter. ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel] Though

this is a sudden change of metaphor, yet there is no reason for adopting the reading of the LXX. ye shall fall like chosen rams (i.e. " for 5). The versions all have the ordinary reading, and Jeremiah uses the comparison elsewhere (cp. ch. xxii. 28). It suggests the idea of being suddenly changed from a thing of value into worthless fragments.

36. the LORD hath spoiled] Or, spoileth, is laying waste. The insertion just before of the words shall be heard is very prosaic. Really, the previous clause is an exclamation: A voice of the cry of the shepherds and a bowling of the strong ones of the flock! for the de-· vastation has begun.

37. the peaceable habitations] The pastures of peace, the peaceable fields where the flocks lately dwelt in security. See on v. 30.

are cut down] Or, are destroyed, desolated, lit. are put to silence. See on ch. viii,

14.

38. He hath forsaken his covert] Jeremiah concludes by forcibly repeating but in a fuller form the thought with which he had begun this poem (see v. 30). Jehovah has risen up, like a lion that leaves its covert, eager for prey, that He may execute judgment upon the wicked.

the fierceness of the oppressor] See Note at end of Chapter.

this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all the nations round about it, and I will make them desolate, and give them for a destruction and a whistling and a perpetual reproach. 10 And I will destroy from

12

them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the scent of ointment, and the light of the lamp. II And the whole land shall be for destruction, and they shall serve among the nations seventy years. And when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will take vengeance on that nation, and make them a perpetual destruction. 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken against it, even all that are written in this book.

"What Jeremiah prophesied against the nations. Elam." (Upon this follows ch. xlix. 35-39, the superscription in v. 34 being omitted.)

Thus it omits in v. 9 the words and to Nebuchadrezzar, which, as we have shewn, are difficult grammatically. In v. II it omits the name of the king of Babylon, and says that the Jews shall serve among the nations seventy years. In v. 12 it again omits all mention of the king of Babylon, and of the land of the Chaldæans. In v. 13 it makes "the book" refer very unmistakeably to Jehoiakim's roll, and appends to it Jeremiah's prophecies "against the nations," putting as a title words which are quite out of place in the Hebr. text, as we cannot imagine Jeremiah himself to have said, All that is prophesied in this book, which Jeremiah bath prophesied against all the nations. Finally, it also omits in v. 26 the mention of the king of Sheshach, i.e. of Babylon, which again is difficult: for why should the prophet put here in cypher what in vv. 9, 12, he had put openly? It seems probable, therefore, that the LXX. have preserved for us the earlier text, in which all direct mention of the king of Babylon is omitted, and the seventy years are given as the duration of Judah's captivity, and not of the Babylonian empire. Hitzig, Ewald, Graf, and others have doubted the genuineness of even this prophecy, but its presence in the text of the LXX. and the reference to it in ch, xxix. 10 leave its authenticity beyond doubt. But how is this fuller text of the Masorites to be explained? We answer, by the dislocation which Jehoiakim's roll evidently suffered. See Introd. 321, 322. Probably when Jeremiah wrote his prophecies against Babylon, contained in chaps. 1., li., he may himself have separated "the prophecies against the nations" from the roll, and placed them along with his new predictions, in order to make the series complete. It is from these prophecies against Babylon that the inserted words were taken, and at first put into the margin, whence some scribe transferred them to the text. It can scarcely have been the work of Jeremiah himself, as there is not one of them which does not occasion grammatical difficulties. So also v. 14 appears to be a gloss to explain the words "What Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations," which had now be

come meaningless. The first half of it is taken from ch. xxvii. 7, the rest from ch. 1. 29, li. 24.

26. Both here and in ch. li. 41 the LXX. omit the clause containing the name of the king of Sheshach. On this account, and because the prophecy properly belongs to the uprise, and not to the downfall, of the Babylonian empire, Ewald, Hitzig, and others regard these words as an interpolation. But the latter argument has little weight, as the limitation of the Babylonian empire to a duration of seventy years in v. II is an integral part of the prophecy, and is undoubtedly referred to in ch. xxix. 10. Moreover, they form an important element in the prophecy. If Judah was thus to be punished, and the Chaldæans invested with universal empire, was it because the Chaldæans were more approved by God in religion and morals than the Jews? No. They were simply God's scourge, made fit to be so by the vigour of one man, and at his death punishment will befall them also for their own sins, and in little more than twenty years after Nebuchadnezzar's death, their empire will cease for ever. They existed only to do the base office of an executioner, and that done, they will be laid aside. In this place moreover there is a reason for concealment, in ch. li. 41 none, and the name apparently is there used as one now well known as the equivalent of Babylon. How then did it arise? In this place we have the explanation. Not that it was used here for any cowardly reason. Jeremiah was the last man to shew fear. But this prophecy was one that was sure to become known to the Chaldæans, and would incline them to treat the exiles with compassion. The care taken by Nebuchadnezzar of Jeremiah proves the friendly feelings which he entertained towards him (ch. xxxix. 11), and he would also be well disposed towards those who had shared Jeremiah's sentiments. But for the purpose intended by taking the Jews to Babylon, it was of the utmost importance that they should meet with high consideration there, such as had been guaranteed them by the express promise in ch. xxiv. 6; and this was brought about in great measure by Jeremiah's influence. Still it is exceedingly probable that the form in which this prophecy appears in the LXX. was that in which it was first published in Jerusalem. It is there given as a distinct prediction separate from the first 14 verses, and without the conjunction for at the beginning of v. 15. For further comfort for the Jews Jeremiah may have completed it at a later time; for in its original state it had left them uncertain as to the manner in which their seventy years of servitude would be terminated. Now they learn that it will be by the fall of the Chaldæan empire (cp. Dan. ii. 39), and henceforward the name Sheshach would be one full

CHAPTER XXVI.

1 Jeremiah by promises and threatenings exhorteth to repentance. 8 He is therefore apprehended, 10 and arraigned. 12 His apology. 16 He is quit in judgment, by the example of Micah, 20 and of Urijah, 24 and by the care of Ahikam.

N the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,

2 Thus saith the LORD; Stand

JEREMIAH'S FIFTEENTH PROPHECY.
Chap. xxvi.

The prophet in danger of death. We have in this chapter a narrative of the danger to which Jeremiah was exposed by reason of the prophecy contained in ch. vii, Naturally it could not be included in Jehoiakim's roll, because the one object of that roll was to awaken the king's attention to the doom which throughout a long period of years Jeremiah had consistently pronounced by the word of Jehovah against Jerusalem. All matters therefore irrelevant to the main issue would be excluded, and here we have also statements which would only serve to rouse the king's indignation.

For its present position many critics endeavour to find a reason. Ewald considers that together with the next three chapters it forms a historical supplement, setting forth the distinction between true and false prophecy. Hävernick thinks that its object is to support by proof the assertion in ch. xxv. 3-7, that the Jews had rejected the prophets. Keil regards ch. xxvi. as a sort of prelude to chh. xxvii.-xxix., of which the purpose is to vin

it is difficult to see how so easy an expression could be changed into one so hard to explain. The Vulg. takes the word ' in its ordinary sense of a dove, and many suppose this to have been blazoned upon the standards of the Babylonians (Diod. Sic. II. 4): but for this there is little authority. Though the LXX. translate it here the great sword, in the two other places they have the Greek sword, and so must have read the savord of Javan, an interesting rendering, as it shews that the Alexandrian Jews referred chaps. xlvi. and 1. to the expedition of Alexander. The rendering of the A. V., oppressor, would require the reading ', of which there are no traces: it is quite possible however that may have been dropped out of the text, and that the prophet wrote the fierceness of the oppressing sword.

dicate the truth of the prediction, that the duration of the captivity would be seventy years. But all this is far-fetched and unsatisfactory, and it is better to regard the chapter as complete in itself, and read it in connection with ch. vii. It shews what dangers stood in the path of the true prophet, and what courage was necessary when the message ran so counter to all the feelings of the nation as that which threatened the temple with the same miserable fate which had already befallen the old tabernacle at Shiloh.

1. As some minute differences exist between this prophecy and that in ch. vii., some commentators have imagined that the prophet repeated his denunciation on several occasions. More probably it is the same prophecy, and was delivered but once. The indignation of

the people at a fate being threatened them like that of Shiloh blazed forth immediately, and the violent course taken by Jehoiakim towards Urijah proved decisively that no repetition of the prophecy would be endured. In vv. 4-6 we have a summary of the prediction contained in ch. vii., and that again is but an outline of what was doubtless a long address. Slight divergences in such a summary are unimportant.

Psal. 78. 60.

chap. 7. 12, 14.

7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

8 ¶ Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an in

8. had made an end of speaking] These words denote an amount of respect either for the person of Jeremiah or for his office, which heightens the profanity of Jehoiakim in destroying the prophet's roll (ch. xxxvi. 23).

the people took him] i.e. apprehended him to put him formally upon his trial.

9. Why hast thou prophesied, &c.] The charge against Jeremiah was of prophesying falsely, for which the penalty was death, Deut. xviii. 20. They assumed that it was absolutely impossible that Jerusalem ever could become like Shiloh, and thus his condemnation was certain. For a similar assumption cp. Acts

13 Therefore now damend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the ver. 19. evil that he hath pronounced against you.

Jehovah. This would be the gate built by Jotham (2 K. xv. 35), and was probably a usual place for trials.

11. the prophets] As these men claimed to be true prophets, and were probably regarded as such by the people, their presence added great weight to the charge. It does not follow that they claimed the high gift of direct inspiration, but the distinction between the prophet who belonged generally to the order, and those few to whom "the word of Jehovah came," was probably very undefined.

This man is worthy to die] Lit. A sentence of death is to this man, i.e. is due to him, is his desert.

as ye have heard] Only the people had heard the very words of Jeremiah, and the appeal to them is to confirm what the princes had heard in the form of evidence.

12-15. The answer of Jeremiah is simple and straightforward. Jehovah, he affirmed, had truly sent him, but the sole object of his prophesying had been to avert the evil by leading them to repentance. If they would amend their ways God would deliver them from the threatened doom. As for himself he was in their hands, but if they put him to death they would bring the guilt of shedding innocent blood upon themselves and upon the city.

I.

Micah 1.

12.

15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your

ears.

16 ¶ Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God. 17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,

18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Micah 3. LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plow

16. This man, &c.] Lit., as in v. II, There is not to this man a sentence of death, i.e. he is acquitted by the princes with the assent of the congregation, to whose minds Jeremiah's speech had carried the conviction that he was speaking truthfully.

17. the elders of the land] See note on 1 K. xx. 7 for these elders in the kingdom of Israel; we here find similar elders in Judæa, the political institutions of the two kingdoms being very similar. They probably were the heads and spokesmen of the congregation, and after the princes who represented the king had given their decision, they added their approval. the assembly] The kabal, congregation, see

v. 9.

18, 19. For this prediction see Micah iii. 12, where it verbally agrees with the text in this place. We have here the explicit testimony of the elders that the prediction was originally spoken by Micah, and Dr Pusey well says, "It is now owned, well nigh on all hands, that the great,prophecy in Micah iii. 12, iv. 1, 2, three verses of which Isaiah prefixed to his second chapter, was originally delivered by Micah" (Minor Prophets,' p. 289). For the reasons for a different view, see Note C on Isai. ii. 2. Micah is called in the text Michayah, the full form of his name, meaning, Who is like Jah?

19. besought the LORD] Cp. Exod. xxxii. 11; I S. xiii. 12 (marg.).

ed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD He repented him of the evil which he the Lo had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah :

21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;

the fayd

Thus might we procure, &c.] Rather, And we should commit a great evil against our own souls, i.e. by putting Jeremiah to death we should commit a sin which would prove a great misfortune to ourselves.

20. And there was also a man] This narrative of Urijah's fate was no part of the speech of the elders, who would not be likely to contrast the behaviour of the reigning king so unfavourably with that of Hezekiah. Moreover, it would have been a precedent, not for acquitting Jeremiah, but for putting him to

death.

But independently of this the date does not suit. It is said that Jeremiah's trial took place "in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim," v. I. Now even if the words are used in an inexact sense, still a considerable time would be required for the deliverance of Urijah's prophecy, his flight into Egypt, his pursuit, capture, return to Jerusalem, trial

and execution. When too it is said that he prophesied "according to all the words of Jeremiah," it seems that it was the repetition of the prediction that made the king determine to close the mouths of the prophets at any cost. We may conclude then that Jeremiah, when he reduced the narrative to writing, added this history to shew the ferocity of Jehoiakim, and the danger to which he had been himself exposed.

21. his mighty men] The commanders of his army, while the princes are the civil offi

cers.