Jeremiah 39:1-18. Capture of the city. Jeremiah's fortunes. Promise to Ebed-melech (i) The words in brackets are clearly a gloss, introduced from Jeremiah 52:4-7. "And it came to pass … taken" (Jeremiah 38:28 _b_) connects naturally with Jeremiah 39:3. (ii) Jeremiah 39:4 are absent from the LXX, th... [ Continue Reading ]
Jeremiah 39:3. _and sat_ to carry out the matters arising from the capture. _Nergal-sharezer, etc_.] From the Eng. it would appear that there are six princes mentioned by name. In fact however there are but four at the most (and probably only two), viz. (_a_) Nergal-sharezer, (_b_) Samgar-nebo, (_c_... [ Continue Reading ]
_by the gate betwixt, etc_.] "on the S. of the city (the -king's garden" was near the pool of Siloam, Nehemiah 3:15), probably the fountain gate of Nehemiah 2:14; Nehemiah 3:15; Nehemiah 12:37, the -two walls" (cf. Isaiah 22:11) being those below this gate along the W. side of the E. hill of Jerusal... [ Continue Reading ]
See introd. note and summary to ch.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the plains of Jericho_ the W. side of the Arabah. _Riblah (Ribleh_) between the mountain ranges of Lebanon and Hermon. It was a suitable halting-place for Nebuchadnezzar, as being on the high road between Babylon and Palestine and lying "on the banks of a mountain stream in the midst of a vast and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes_ See on Jeremiah 34:3 and cp. Judges 16:21. "Putting out the eyes has been at all times a common Oriental punishment.… The frequency of the punishment in the time of the younger Cyrus is indicated by a passage in Xenophon, where it is said that men deprived of si... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nebuzaradan_ He did not, however, arrive (Jeremiah 52:12; 2 Kings 25:8) till a month later. _captain of the guard_ Heb. _chief of the executioners_. _that fell away to him_ i.e. that went over to the Chaldaeans, and so were under Nebuzaradan from such time as he appeared in command.... [ Continue Reading ]
_of the people_ Probably we should read, as in Jeremiah 52:15 mg., _of the artificers_. _gave them … fields_ but See on Jeremiah 52:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
See introd. summary to the section.... [ Continue Reading ]
If we are to accept this as historical (see introd. note to ch.), Nebuchadnezzar's action was due to the fact that Jeremiah had consistently throughout counselled submission to him on the part of the Jews. See Jeremiah 40:4. _look well to him_ Heb. _set thine eyes upon him_.... [ Continue Reading ]
For the names see on Jeremiah 39:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gedaliah_ See on Jeremiah 26:24. _home_ TO THE HOUSE, apparently meaning to the prophet's own dwelling. _dwelt_ i.e. was no longer in confinement.... [ Continue Reading ]
_came_ rather, HAD COME.... [ Continue Reading ]
See introd. summary to the section. This section is certainly out of chronological order, as relating to a time before the capture of the city, but there is no sufficient reason for condemning it (with Du. and Co.) as unhistorical.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the men of whom thou art afraid_ meaning perhaps the princes, who were hostile to Jeremiah and so would punish Ebed-melech for helping him out of the dungeon, or, as Jeremiah 39:18 suggests, the victorious army, in which case cp. Jeremiah 22:25.... [ Continue Reading ]
_thy life shall be for a prey unto thee_ See on Jeremiah 21:9.... [ Continue Reading ]