Jeremiah 24:1

The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. THE LORD SHOWED ME. ; ; ; , contains the same formula, with the addition of "thus" prefixed. AFTER THAT NEBUCHADREZZAR KING OF BABYLON HAS CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE JECONIAH - (; ;...

The meaning of this vision is, that there was no reason for the ungodly to flatter themselves if they continued in their wickedness, though God did bear with them for a time. The King Jeconiah had been then carried away into exile, together with the chief men and artisans. The condition of the king and of the rest appeared indeed much worse than that of the people who remained in the country, for they still retained a hope that the royal dignity would again be restored, and that the city would flourish again and enjoy abundance of every blessing, though it was then nearly emptied; for everything precious had become a prey to the conqueror; and we indeed know how great was the avarice and rapacity of Nebuchadnezzar. The city then was at that time almost empty, and desolate in comparison with its former splendor. They however who remained might indeed have hoped for a better state of thing...

CHAPTER XXIV _Under the emblem of the good and bad figs is represented the_ _fate of the Jews already gone into captivity with Jeconiah,_ _and of those that remained still in their own country with_ _Zedekiah. It is likewise intimated that God would deal kindly_ _with the former, but that his wrath would still pursue the_ _latter_, 1-10. NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV Verse Jeremiah 24:1. _THE LORD SHOWED ME, AND, BEHOLD, TWO BASKETS OF FIGS_] Besides the _transposition_ of _whole chapters_ in this book, there is not unfrequently a transposition of v

Omit “were.” “Set before,” i. e put in the appointed place for offerings of firstfruits in the forecourt of the temple. CARPENTERS - “Craftsmen” (see the marginal reference)....

EXPOSITION Again Jeremiah's ungrateful task is to take up an attitude of direct opposition to the king (comp. Jeremiah 22:13), though, indeed, Zedekiah personally is so weak and dependent on others that he neither deserves nor receives a special rebuke. He and all the people that are left are likened to very bad figs, the good figs—the exiles—having been picked out and sent to Babylon, whence they will one day be restored. The vision is purely an interior process. This is indicated, not only by the phrase, "Jehovah showed me" (comp. Amos 7:1, Amos 7:4, Amos 7:7; Amos 8:1

THE LORD SHOWED ME,.... A vision, or in a vision, what follows; for by this it appears that what was seen was not real, but what was exhibited in a visionary way by the Lord, and represented to the mind of the prophet: AND, BEHOLD, TWO BASKETS OF FIGS WERE SET BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD; or "pots", as Jarchi; these do not signify the law and Gospel, or the synagogue and church, or the Jews and Christians, or hell and heaven, as some have interpreted it, observed by Jerom; but the Jews that were in captivity with Jeconiah, and those that remained in Jerusalem with Zedekiah, as it is explained in some following verses. These baskets are said to be "set before the temple of the Lord", not to be sold there, but to be presented to the Lord; in allusion to the baskets of firstfruits, which, according to the law, were thither brought for that purpose, Deuteronomy 26:2;

CHAPTER 24 The Two Baskets of Figs _ 1. The vision of the two baskets of figs (Jeremiah 24:1) _ 2. The vision interpreted (Jeremiah 24:4) Jeremiah 24:1. Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large portion remained, and were not taken away, and these attributed their escape from exile to some goodness in them. At that time the prophet had a vision. He saw set before the temple two baskets of figs. The one basket was filled with good figs, the second basket with bad figs. Jeremiah 24:4. The good figs are symbolical of those who were carried away

THE GOOD AND BAD FIGS. The prophet sees (either in vision or actuality; see on Jeremiah 1:11; Jeremiah 1:13; _cf._ Amos 7:1, etc.) baskets of good and bad figs respectively; Yahweh tells him that the former represent the first body of exiles under Jeconiah (Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:15 f.) who shall be restored, and the latter the people remaining under Zedekiah, together with those in Egypt. For Ezekiel's similar judgment of the Palestinian and Babylonian sections of Judah, see Ezekiel 17:11 ff;...

THE LORD. Hebrew. _Jehovah._ App-4. SHEWED ME. made me see. BEHOLD. Figure of speech _Asterismos._ App-6. BASKETS. Hebrew. _dudim._ Still used for fruit in Jerusalem. THE TEMPLE. See note on Jeremiah 26:2. CARPENTERS AND SMITHS. craftsmen (or artificers) and armourers....

For the symbol, as probably indicating not a mental picture but actual baskets to which Jeremiah's attention was directed, cp. note on Jeremiah 1:11 f. See also the kindred symbol in Amos 8:1. _Nebuchadrezzar_ See on Jeremiah 21:2. _Jeconiah_ See on Jeremiah 22:24. _smiths_ The exact meaning of the Hebrew is unknown....