_Then all the captains, and all the people_ That is, both those captains, and many of the people; _came near and said unto Jeremiah _ Who was probably carried away with the other captives by Ishmael, and rescued by Johanan; _Let, we beseech thee, our supplications be accepted before thee_ Thus these... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Jeremiah said, I have heard you_, &c. That is, I will do for you what you desire. _I will pray unto the Lord your God_ They called the Lord Jeremiah's God: here Jeremiah calls him _their God_, both to remind them of God's relation to them, and of their duty toward him. _And whatsoever thing th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass after ten days_ Thus long they were held in suspense, perhaps to punish them for their hypocrisy, or to show that Jeremiah did not speak of himself nor what he would; for he could not speak when he would, but was obliged to wait for instructions; _the word of the Lord came unto... [ Continue Reading ]
_Be not afraid of the king of Babylon_ As if he had said, I know what you are afraid of; you fear lest the king of Babylon should send a force against you and utterly root you out, because one of your nation hath murdered his viceroy Gedaliah; but suffer not your passion of fear to rise too high on... [ Continue Reading ]
_But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey_ Hebrew, לבלתי שׁמע, _so as not to obey._ If they did not continue in their own land, they disobeyed _the voice of the Lord. Saying, No; we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war_, &c. Their great sin was unbelief: they... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord hath said, Go ye not into Egypt_ The good prophet, knowing how much it concerned this people to believe and obey the message God had sent to them by him, repeats again what he had urged before, assuring them it was by the command of the Lord that he said it. _Know certainly that I have adm... [ Continue Reading ]
_For ye dissembled in your hearts_ Hebrew, התעתום, _have used deceit._ They acted deceitfully, either toward God, calling him to bear witness to their sincerity in a matter in which they were not sincere; or toward the prophet, sending him to inquire of God for them, and promising to act according a... [ Continue Reading ]