Jeremiah 49:34-39

IX. AN ORACLE AGAINST ELAM Jeremiah 49:34-39

TRANSLATION

(3?) The word of the LORD which came unto Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah. (35) Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am about to break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. (36) And I will bring against Elam four winds from the four corners of the heaven; and I will scatter them to all these winds, and there shall be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam will not come. (37) And I will cause Elam to tremble before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring against them misfortune, My fierce anger (oracle of the LORD). I will send them the sword until I have consumed them. (38) I will place My throne in Elam and I will destroy from them king and princes (oracle of the LORD). (39) And it shall be in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam (oracle of the LORD).

COMMENTS

Elam was located in the hill country east of Babylon and north of the Persian Gulf. Its capital was Shushan or Susa which was located about 200 miles due east of Babylon. Unlike the other nations mentioned in this section of oracles, Elam had very little contact with Israel throughout history. During the time of Abraham an Elamite king by the name of Chedor-laomer and his allies put down a revolt by certain city-states in the Valley of Siddim near the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:1-11). Other than this episode only brief allusions to Elam can be found in the Bible. Isaiah names the Elamites as allies of Assyria in the campaign against Judah (Isaiah 22:6). The same prophet predicts that it will be the Elamites along with the Medes who will ultimately conquer Babylon (Isaiah 21:2-6).

The question will naturally be raised as to why Jeremiah delivered this oracle against far-distant Elam. The suggestion has been made that the oracle was intended mainly for the benefit of the Jewish captives who had only recently been deported to Babylon (in 597 B.C.). Some evidence exists that Elam was giving Nebuchadnezzar trouble about, this time and the Jewish exiles may have been looking to that nation for deliverance. False prophets had stirred their expectations of immediate return to Palestine and at the moment Elam looked like the most likely prospect to make the prediction of these deceivers come true. God then directed Jeremiah to utter this brief oracle against Elam in order that the illusions and delusions of the Babylonian exiles might be dashed to pieces. It may be that a copy of this oracle was sent to exiles along with the letter recorded in chapter 29.

The oracle against Elam is dated in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah (Jeremiah 49:34) shortly after king Jehoiachin had been deported to Babylon. The prophecy was uttered about eight years after the preceding oracles of this section. Babylonian operations against Elam seem to have been conducted in the winter of 596 B.C. which would fall in the early part of the reign of king Zedekiah.[399] It may be that this campaign of Nebuchadnezzar was the beginning of the fulfillment of the present prophecy.

[399] See D. J. Wiseman Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings in the British Museum (London: Trustees of the Museum, 1956), p. 36.

A. Doom Jeremiah 49:35-38

In spelling out the doom of Elam the prophet makes four points. (1) The strength of Elam will be demolished. God declares that he will break the bow of Elam, the weapon on which that nation chiefly relied (cf. Isaiah 22:6). (2) The inhabitants of Elam will be dispersed, scattered to the four winds, as they seek refuge in surrounding nations (Jeremiah 49:36). (3) The Elamites will be dismayed when the fierce anger of the Lord is poured out on their nation. Even in captivity they will be hounded by the sword of the Lord until they are utterly consumed (Jeremiah 49:37). (4) The rulers of Elam will be destroyed. The real Ruler of this world will set up His throne in Elam, remove the king and princes of the land, and appoint a ruler of His own choosing. When Cyrus, the anointed of the Lord (Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1), incorporated Elam as a province in his vast empire, the present prophecy was fulfilled.

B. Hope Jeremiah 49:39

In the latter days i.e., the days of the Messiah, the Lord will bring again the captivity of Elam i.e., reverse the fortunes of Elam. Elamites will experience the spiritual deliverance and blessing of the Messiah's kingdom. Men from Elam were present in the Pentecost audience when Peter preached the first Gospel sermon (Acts 2:9). Perhaps some of them accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour that day and were baptized into Christ. If so, they would be the first fruits of a great host of their countrymen who would embrace the Gospel of Christ.