Jeremiah 22:1

Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

Belonging to an earlier period than Jeremiah 21:1 - namely the reigns of Shallum or Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22:10; ; ; ; ). Jeremiah often groups his prophecies, not by chronological order, but by similarity of subjects; thus , "execute judgments," in this chapter corresponds to . Grotius thinks that Jeremiah here repeats to Zedekiah what he had announced to that king's predecessors formerly (namely, his brother and brother's son), of a similar bearing, and which had since come to pass-a warning to Zedekiah. Probably, in arranging his prophecies, they were grouped for the first time in the present order-an order designed by the Holy Spirit to set forth the series of kings of Judah, all four alike failing in "righteousness;" followed at last by the "King," a righteous Branch raised unto David, in the house of Judah, "the Lord our righteousness" (). The unrighteousness of Zedekiah suggested the review of his predecessors' failure in the same respects (cf. with ), and consequent punishment, which ought to have warned him, but did not.

Go down - the temple (where Jeremiah had been prophesying) was higher than the king's palace on mount Zion (; ; ). Hence, the phrase, "Go down."

The king of Judah - perhaps including each of the four successive kings, to whom it was consecutively addressed, here brought together in one picture: Shallum, ; Jehoiakim, Jeremiah 22:13; Jeconiah, ; Zedekiah, the address to whom (; Jeremiah 21:11) suggests notice of the rest.