Jeremiah 49:28-33

VIII. AN ORACLE AGAINST KEDAR AND HAZOR Jeremiah 49:28-33

TRANSLATION

(28) Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzar smote. Rise up! Go up to Kedar! Destroy the sons of Kedar! (29) Their tents and their flocks they shall take; their curtains and their vessels and their camels they shall bear away for themselves, and they shall cry unto them: Terror on every side! (30) Flee! Wander far off! Dwell deep, O inhabitant of Hazor (oracle of the LORD); for Nebuchadnezzar has taken counsel against you, he has conceived a purpose against you. (31) Rise up! Go up unto a nation at ease, dwelling securely (oracle of the LORD) with no doors and no bars, who dwell alone. (32) And their camels shall be spoil, and the multitudes of their cattle booty, and I will scatter to every wind those who cut the corners of their beard. From every side I will bring their destruction (oracle of the LORD), (33) And Hazor shall become a habitation of jackals, an eternal desolation. A man shall not dwell there nor a son of man sojourn in it.

COMMENTS

Kedar and Hazor represent the Arabian tribes which occupied the desert regions east of Palestine. The tribe of Kedar, descended from Ishmael, is mentioned by Isaiah (Isaiah 21:16-17), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 27:21) as well as Jeremiah (Jeremiah 2:10). Several Hazors are mentioned in the Old Testament. It is not certain whether Hazor here is a city, a region, or, as seems most likely, a tribal name. The title of the oracle indicates the fulfillment of the prophecy in the words which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote (Jeremiah 49:28).[397] At the time this oracle was placed in its present position within the body of the oracles against the nations it had already been fulfilled and the editor of the book, Jeremiah himself or Baruch, makes note of that fact in the introductory verse.

[397] The KJV wrongly makes the verb future. The ASV is preferable.

A. Exhortation Jeremiah 49:28-32 a

The opening verses of this oracle contain three words of exhortation addressed to (1) the attackers (Jeremiah 49:28-29); (2) the Arabs (Jeremiah 49:30); and (3) the attackers again (Jeremiah 49:31-32 a.).

The oracle begins with an exhortation to the troops of Nebuchadnezzar to arise and plunder Kedar and the other Arab tribes of the eastern desert (Jeremiah 49:28). The Chaldeans will heed the exhortation and will confiscate the tents, flocks, beautifully ornamented tent hangings, vessels, and camels of the Arab tribes. The expression fear on every side (Jeremiah 49:29) is characteristic of Jeremiah.[398] Some regard the expression here as the battle cry of the invader; others regard it as descriptive of the effect that the enemy battle cry produces among the Arab tribes.

[398] See Jeremiah 20:3; Jeremiah 20:10; Jeremiah 46:5; Jeremiah 49:29.

Just as Jeremiah earlier urged the Dedanites (Jeremiah 49:8) to dwell deep, i.e., retreat into the impenetrable desert, so now he urges the inhabitants of Hazor to do the same. The desert dwellers of antiquity relied on the vast expanse of the desert to protect them from the scourge of war. Enemy armies would seldom dare to attempt to penetrate those wide-open spaces where the lack of food and water and the blistering heat would make a military expedition most perilous. But Nebuchadnezzar, the daring young prince of Babylon, has carefully made his plans to attack these tribes. Therefore Jeremiah urges the desert people to retreat even farther into the trackless waste.

Again the prophet turns to the attackers and urges them to launch the attack against the Arab tribes. Three facts about the Arab tribes are mentioned as incentives to the invaders. First, the Arabs are described as a nation that is at ease, that dwells without care (ASV). In other words the Arab nations have hitherto felt secure from attack and thus a Chaldean invasion would catch them off guard. Second, the Arabs have no walled cities which would involve the invaders in prolonged siege. Third, the Arabs dwell alone, i.e., they have no powerful neighbors or allies upon which they can call for aid.

B. Declaration Jeremiah 49:32-33

The second part of the oracle against the Arab tribes contains a divine declaration concerning the destruction and subsequent desolation of the area. The camels of the desert tribes will become spoil for the invader. Those who escape the initial onslaught will be scattered to the wind i.e., in all directions. The phrase them that are in the utmost corners (KJV) is more correctly rendered them that have the corners of their hair cut off (ASV). The Israelites were forbidden to shave or trim the beard (Leviticus 19:27) and they regarded the custom of the Arabs of cutting off the hair from the edges of the beard and from the temples as something unusual. The calamity of invasion shall surround these Arab tribes (Jeremiah 49:32). As a result of the attack the area of Hazor will become a perpetual desolation, a habitation for jackals (not dragons as in KJV). No man will dwell in that area again (Jeremiah 49:33). Just when Nebuchadnezzar launched his campaign against the desert tribes cannot be determined. That he did attack and conquer Arabia is specifically attested by Berosus, the Babylonian historian, who is quoted at length in the writings of Josephus. The fact that Nebonidus, the last king of Babylon, occupied the oasis of Tema in the Arabian desert would also indicate that the prophecies of this section were fulfilled.