38They shall roar together like lions,
They shall growl like lions’ whelps.
39In their excitement I will prepare their feasts;
h I will make them drunk,
That they may rejoice,
And sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says the LORD.
40“I will bring them down
Like lambs to the slaughter,
Like rams with male goats.
41“Oh, how iSheshach3 is taken!
Oh, how jthe praise of the whole earth is seized!
How Babylon has become desolate among the nations!
42k The sea has come up over Babylon;
She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
43l Her cities are a desolation,
A dry land and a wilderness,
A land where mno one dwells,
Through which no son of man passes.
44I will punish nBel4 in Babylon,
And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed;
And the nations shall not stream to him anymore.
Yes, othe wall of Babylon shall fall.
45“Myp people, go out of the midst of her!
And let everyone deliver 5himself from the fierce anger of the LORD.
46And lest your heart faint,
And you fear qfor the rumor that will be heard in the land
(A rumor will come one year,
And after that, in another year
A rumor will come,
And violence in the land,
Ruler against ruler),
47Therefore behold, the days are coming
That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon;
Her whole land shall be ashamed,
And all her slain shall fall in her midst.
48Then rthe heavens and the earth and all that is in them
Shall sing joyously over Babylon;
s For the plunderers shall come to her from the north,” says the LORD.
49As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall,
So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.
50t You who have escaped the sword,
Get away! Do not stand still!
u Remember the LORD afar off,
And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
51v We are ashamed because we have heard reproach.
Shame has covered our faces,
For strangers whave come into the 6sanctuaries of the LORD’s house.
52“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“That I will bring judgment on her carved images,
And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.
53x Though Babylon were to 7mount up to heaven,
And though she were to fortify the height of her strength,
Yet from Me plunderers would come to her,” says the LORD.
54y The sound of a cry comes from Babylon,
And great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,
55Because the LORD is plundering Babylon
And silencing her loud voice,
Though her waves roar like great waters,
And the noise of their voice is uttered,
56Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon,
And her mighty men are taken.
Every one of their bows is broken;
z For the LORD is the God of recompense,
He will surely repay.
57“And I will make drunk
Her princes and awise men,
Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men.
And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says bthe King,
Whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly cbroken,8
And her high gates shall be burned with fire;
d The people will labor in vain,
And the nations, because of the fire;
And they shall be weary.”
Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah
59The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of eNeriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster.
60So Jeremiah fwrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon.
61And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words,
62“then you shall say, ‘O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that gnone shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’
63“Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, hthat you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates.
64“Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’ ” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 52
The Fall of Jerusalem Reviewed
(2 Kin. 24:18—25:26; 2 Chr. 36:11–20; Jer. 39:1–10)
1Zedekiah was atwenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of bLibnah.
2He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
3For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah crebelled against the king of Babylon.
4Now it came to pass in the dninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.
5So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
7Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the 1plain.
8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.
9eSo they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him.
10fThen the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
11He also gput out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in 2bronze fetters, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Temple and City Plundered and Burned
12hNow in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month (iwhich was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), jNebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
13He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.
14And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.
15kThen Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.
16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
17lThe mbronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon.
18The
y also took away nthe pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the 3bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.
19The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.
20The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—othe bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.
21Now concerning the ppillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen 4cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was 5four fingers; it was hollow.
22A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same.
23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; qall the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.
The People Taken Captive to Babylonia
24rThe captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, sZephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
25He also took out of the city an 6officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.
26And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.
28tThese are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: uin the seventh year, vthree thousand and twenty-three Jews;
29win the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons;
30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
(2 Kin. 25:27–30)
31xNow it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that 7Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, ylifted8 up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.
32And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
33So 9Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, zand he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.
34And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
Jeremiah Commentaries
Jeremiah 1
1:1 Anathoth. A town in the territory of Benjamin, 3 mi. N of Jerusalem, assigned to the Levites (cf. Josh. 21:18) where Abiathar had once lived (1 Kin. 2:26).
1:2 in the days of. Jeremiah’s ministry spanned at least 5 decades—from Judah’s king Josiah (13th year, 627 B.C.) to the final king, Zedekiah, in his last year (586 B.C.).
1:3 fifth month. Babylonian conquerors began deporting Judeans into captivity in the Heb. month Ab (July-Aug.) in 586 B.C. (52:12; 2 Kin. 25:8–11), shortly after breaking into Jerusalem on the fourth month and ninth day (39:2; 52:6).
1:5 Before I formed you… This is not reincarnation; it is God’s all-knowing cognizance of Jeremiah and sovereign plan for him before he was conceived (cf. Paul’s similar realization, Gal. 1:15).
Jer. 1:5
Illustrations of God’s Judgment
An Almond Branch (1:11, 12)
A Boiling Caldron (1:13-16)
Lions (2:15, 4:7, 5:6, 50:17).
A Scorching Storm Wind (4:11, 12, 18:17, 23:19, 25:32)
Wolf (5:6)
Leopard (5:6)
Stripping Away Judah’s Branches (5:10)
Fire (5:14)
Making This House (Worship Center) like Shiloh (7:14)
Serpents, Adders (8:17)
Destroying Olive Branches (11:16-17)
Uprooting (12:17)
Linen Sash Made Worthless (13:1-11)
Bottles Filled with Wine and Dashed Against One Another (13:12-14)
A Potter’s Jar Shattered (19:10, 11; cf. 22:28)
A Hammer [God’s Word] Crushing a Rock (23:29)
A Cup of Wrath (25:15)
Zion Plowed as a Field (26:18)
Wearing Yokes of Wood and Iron (27:2; 28:13)
A Hammer [Babylon] (50:23)
A Mountain of Destruction [Babylon] (51:25)
1:6 Jeremiah’s response points out his inability and his inexperience. If as a young man he was 20–25 years old in 626 B.C., he was 60–65 in 586 B.C. when Jerusalem fell (chap. 39), and 85–90 if he lived to the time of 52:31–34 (ca. 561 B.C.).
1:7–10 The power backing Jeremiah’s service was God’s presence and provision (cf. 2 Cor. 3:5).
1:9 My words in your mouth. God used him as His mouthpiece, speaking His message (15:19); thus, Jeremiah’s fitting response was to receive God’s Word (15:16).
1:10 set you over. Because God spoke through Jeremiah, the message has divine authority.
1:11–16 Illustrations of God’s charge were twofold. First, there was the sign of the almond rod. The almond tree was literally “the wakeful tree,” because it awakened from the sleep of winter earlier than the other trees, blooming in Jan. It was a symbol of God’s early judgment, as Jeremiah announced (605–586 B.C.). Second, the boiling cauldron pictured the Babylonian invaders bringing judgment on Judah (cf. 20:4).
1:17–19 Jeremiah’s part was proclamation, as God’s mouthpiece (v. 17); God’s part was preservation in defending the prophet (vv. 18, 19). God did protect him often, e.g., 11:18–23; 20:1ff., and 38:7–13.
Jeremiah 2
2:1–3 Jerusalem…Israel. Jeremiah pointed to the sensitivity of the Lord and His care for them in the early history (v. 21). After centuries, many were: 1) far from God, whom they had forsaken (vv. 5, 31); 2) deep in idolatry (vv. 11, 27, 28); and 3) without true salvation (as v. 8; 5:10a).
2:3 firstfruits. Israel was first to worship the true God (Ex. 19:5, 6) through His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3), which also assured His intent to bless peoples from all nations (16:19–21; Dan. 7:27).
Jer. 2:3
Major Trials of Jeremiah
1. Trial By Death Threats (11:18–23)
2. Trial By Isolation (15:15–21)
3. Trial By Stocks (19:14—20:18)
4. Trial By Arrest (26:7–24)
5. Trial By Challenge (28:10–16)
6. Trial By Destruction (36:1–32)
7. Trial By Violence and Imprisonment (37:15)
8. Trial By Starvation (38:1–6)
9. Trial By Chains (40:1)
10. Trial By Rejection (42:1—43:4)
2:8 priests…prophets. Leaders, who did not really know the Lord, set the idolatrous pattern for others (cf. Hos. 4:6).
2:13 two evils. First, Israel had abandoned the Lord, the source of spiritual salvation and sustenance (cf. 17:8; Ps. 36:9; John 4:14). Second, Israel turned to idolatrous objects of trust; Jeremiah compared these with underground water storage devices for rainwater, which were broken and let water seep out, thus proving useless.
2:14 How is it that a people under God’s special care are left at the mercy of an enemy, like a worthless slave?
2:15 young lions. The figure represents invading soldiers that burned cities (cf. 4:7), perhaps a reference to the disaster from the Babylonians during Jehoiakim’s fourth year, and again 3 years later when he relied on Egypt (cf. 20:4; 46:2; 2 Kin. 24:1, 2).
2:16 Noph…Tahpanhes. These two cities in Egypt stood for the country
itself.
2:18 Dependence on alliances with Egypt and Assyria was part of national undoing, a source of shame (vv. 36, 37). Sihor. Refers to the Nile River.
2:19 backslidings. Cf. 3:6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 22; 8:5; 31:22; 49:4; Is. 57:17; Hos. 11:7; 14:4. For clarification of the meaning, see note on Prov. 14:14.
2:23 the Baals. An inclusive term referring collectively to false deities. dromedary. The nation, in chasing other idols, is depicted as a female camel pursuing its instinct, and as a wild ass in heat sniffing the wind to find a mate, craving to attract others of its kind. Other pictures of Israel are that of a thief, who is ashamed when exposed (v. 26), and that of a maid or a bride who forgets what beautifies her (v. 32).
Jeremiah 3
3:1 If a man divorces. Such a man was not to take that woman as his wife again, for this would defile her (Deut. 24:4) and be a scandal. Jeremiah used this analogy to picture Israel as a harlot in the spiritual realm, with many lovers, i.e., nations (2:18, 25) and idols (2:23–25; 3:2, 6–9). Yet, the Lord would graciously receive Israel or Judah back as His wife if she would repent (3:12–14).
3:6 backsliding. Also 3:8, 11, 12, 14. See note on Prov. 14:14.
3:8 I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce. Though God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16), it is tolerated for unrepentant adultery (see notes on Matt. 5:32; 19:8, 9), as indicated by this analogy of God’s divorcing Israel for that continual sin in the spiritual realm. God had divorced Israel but not yet Judah (cf. Is. 50:1). Cf. Ezra 10:3, where divorce is the right action of God’s people to separate from idolatrous wives.
3:14 I am married to you. God pictured His covenant relationship with Israel as a marriage, and pleaded with mercy for Judah to repent and return. He will take her back. Cf. Hosea’s restoration of Gomer as a picture of God taking back His wicked, adulterous people.
3:15–18 it shall come to pass…in those days. When Israel repents (vv. 13, 14, 22), which has not happened, but will in the millennial era of God’s restoration that the prophets often describe (Jer. 23:5, 6; 30–33; Ezek. 36), God will bring these blessings: 1) shepherds to teach them the truth; 2) His own immediate presence on the throne in Jerusalem, not just the ark of His covenant; 3) allegiance even of Gentile nations; 4) righteousness; 5) genuineness in worship; 6) unity of Israel (north) and Judah (south) into one kingdom; and 7) reestablishment in their own Promised Land.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 365
