And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, The date of the prophecy is between the sixth month of Zedekiah's sixth year of reign and the fifth month of the seventh year after the carrying away of Jehoiachin - i:e., five years before the destruction of Jerusalem (Henderson).... [ Continue Reading ]
Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; PUT FORTH A RIDDLE - a continued allegory, expressed enigmatically, requiring more than common acumen and serious thought. The Hebrew, [ chiydaah (H2420)] is derived from a root [chaadad] 'to be sharp' - i:e., calculat... [ Continue Reading ]
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: A GREAT EAGLE - the king of birds. The literal Hebrew is, 'the great eagle.' The symbol of the Assyrian supreme g... [ Continue Reading ]
He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. HE ... EARNED IT INTO A LAND OF TRAFFIC ... A CITY OF MERCHANTS - Babylon (), famous for its transport traffic on the Tigris and Euphrates; also, by its connection with the Persia... [ Continue Reading ]
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. HE TOOK ALSO OF THE SEED OF THE LAND - not a foreign production, but one native in the region; a son of the soil, not a foreigner: Zedekiah, uncle of Jehoiachin, o... [ Continue Reading ]
And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. IT ... BECAME A SPREADING VINE OF LOW STATURE - not now, as before, a stately "cedar:" the king... [ Continue Reading ]
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER GREAT EAGLE - the King of Egypt (). The "long-winge... [ Continue Reading ]
It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. IT WAS PLANTED IN A GOOD SOIL. It was not want of the necessaries of life, nor oppression on the part of Nebuchadnezzar, which caused Zedekiah to revol... [ Continue Reading ]
Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. SHALL IT PROSPER? Could it be... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. YEA, BEHOLD, BEING PLANTED, SHALL IT PROSPER? - i:e., though planted. EAST WIND. The east wind was noxious to vegetation in Palestine: a fit... [ Continue Reading ]
_MOREOVER THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME, SAYING,_ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; KNOW YE NOT WHAT THESE THINGS MEAN? He upbraided them with moral, leading... [ Continue Reading ]
And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: AND HATH TAKEN OF THE KING'S SEED - Zedekiah, Jechoniah's uncle. TAKEN AN OATH OF HIM - swearing fealty as a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar (). HE HATH ALSO TA... [ Continue Reading ]
That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. THAT THE KINGDOM MIGHT BE BASE - i:e., low as to national elevation, by being Nebuchadnezzar's dependent; but, at the same time, safe and prosperous if faithful to the "oath." Ne... [ Continue Reading ]
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? BUT HE REBELLED. God permitted this because of His wrath against Jerusal... [ Continue Reading ]
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. SURELY IN THE PLACE WHERE THE KING DWELLETH THAT MADE HIM KING, WHOSE OATH HE DESPISED ... EVEN... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: PHARAOH - Pharaoh-hophra (; ), the successor of Necho (). NEITHER SHALL PHARAOH WITH HIS MIGHTY ARMY ... MAKE FOR HIM - literally, 'effect (a... [ Continue Reading ]
Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. SEEING HE DESPISED THE OATH ... WHEN, LO, HE HAD GIVEN HIS HAND - in ratification of the oath (; ), and also in token of subjection to Nebuchadnezzar (, mar... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. MINE OATH THAT HE HATH DESPISED ... EVEN IT WILL I RECOMPENSE UPON HIS OWN HEAD. The "covenant," being sworn in God's name, was... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. I WILL SPREAD MY NET UPON HIM - (; ). God entraps him as he had tried to entrap others (). I WILL BRING HIM T... [ Continue Reading ]
And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. ALL HIS FUGITIVES ... SHALL FALL BY THE SWORD - the soldiers that accompany him in his flight.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: I WILL ALSO TAKE OF THE HIGHEST BRANCH OF THE HIGH CEDAR, AND WILL SET IT. When t... [ Continue Reading ]
In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. UNDER IT SHALL DWELL ALL FOWL. The Gospel "mustard tree," smal... [ Continue Reading ]
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it. I THE LORD HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE HIGH TREE, HAVE EXALTED THE LOW TR... [ Continue Reading ]