Jeremiah 29:1

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; UNTO THE RESIDUE OF THE ELDERS - those still surviving from the time when they were carried to Babylon with Jeconiah; the other elders of the captives had died by either a natural or a violent death....

Here the Prophet begins a new discourse, even that he not only cried out constantly at Jerusalem, that the Jews who still remained there should repent, but that he also mitigated the grief of the exiles, and exhorted them to entertain the hope of returning, provided they patiently endured the chastisement allotted to them. The design of the Prophet was at the same time twofold; for he not only intended to mitigate by comfort the sorrow of the exiles, but designed also to break down the obstinacy of his own nation, so that they who still remained at Jerusalem and in Judea might know that nothing would be better for them than to join themselves to their other brethren. The Jews, as it has already appeared, and as we shall hereafter in many places see, had set their minds on an unreasonable deliverance; God had fixed on seventy years, but they wished immediately to break through and extrica...

1-7 The written word of God is as truly given by inspiration of God as his spoken word. The zealous servant of the Lord will use every means to profit those who are far off, as well as those who are near him. The art of writing is very profitable for this end; and by the art of printing it is rendered most beneficial for circulating the knowledge of the word of God. God's sending to the captives by this letter would show that he had not forsaken them, though he was displeased, and corrected them. If they live in the fear of God, they may live comfortably in Babylon. In all conditions of life, it is our wisdom and duty not to throw away the comfort of what we may have, because we have not all we would have. They are directed to seek the good of the country where they were captives. While the king of Babylon protected them, they must live quiet and peaceable lives under him, in all godline...

CHAPTER XXIX _This chapter contains the substance of two letters sent by the_ _prophet to the captives in Babylon. In the first he recommends_ _to them patience and composure under their present_ _circumstances, which were to endure for seventy years_, 1-14; _in which, however, they should fare better than their brethren_ _who remained behind_, 15-19. _But, finding little credit given to this message, on account of_ _the suggestions of the false prophets, Ahab the son of Kolaiah,_ _and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who flattered them with the_...

THE RESIDUE OF THE CIDERS - i. e., such of the elders as were still alive....

EXPOSITION Despised and rejected at home, Jeremiah turned his thoughts to those distant brethren in captivity, whom he had already likened to "good figs, very good" (Jeremiah 24:3, Jeremiah 24:5). He had heard with sorrow that they could not readily submit to their altered circumstances; Judah, with its consecrated associations, was still too near to them in spirit. Probably a rumor of the expected confederacy (Jeremiah 27:3) had troubled their minds, and the discontent was increased by the pernicious discourses of prophets and sooth sayers similar to that Hananiah of whom we have just heard. Two of these in particular are mentioned, and a terrible fate is held out to them. The appendix (verses 24-32) de

NOW THESE [ARE] THE WORDS OF THE LETTER THAT JEREMIAH THE PROPHET SENT FROM JERUSALEM,.... The argument and tenor, the sum and substance, of an epistle, which the prophet Jeremiah, being at Jerusalem, wrote, under the inspiration of God, to his countrymen abroad, afterwards described; so the prophets under the Old Testament instructed the people, sometimes by their sermons and discourses delivered by word of mouth to them, and sometimes by letters and epistles; as did the apostles of the New Testament; and they were both ways useful and profitable to men: UNTO THE RESIDUE OF THE ELDERS WHICH WERE CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE; some perhaps dying by the way, and others quickly after they came to Babylon; some were left, who had been rulers or civil magistrates in Judea, and perhaps of the great sanhedrim: AND TO THE PRIESTS, AND TO THE PROPHETS: false prophets, as the Syriac version; for we read...

CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVES Compare (2 Kings 24:10). The complete captivity of Judah came eleven years later. (2 Kings 25:1)....

JEREMIAH 29. THE FUTURE OF THE EXILES IN BABYLON (_c_. 595). Jeremiah sends a letter by royal messengers to tell the exiles in Babylon to settle down there for a lengthy stay, and not to be deceived by those who say otherwise (Jeremiah 29:1). After seventy years (see on Jeremiah 25:11), they shall be restored in accordance with Yahweh's declared purpose (Jeremiah 24:4) and goodwill (Jeremiah 29:1). At this point, an insertion seems to have been made in the original letter. Most of 14 (after I will be found of you) is rightly omitted in LXX; the reference to all the nations does not suit the destination of this particula

WORDS: i.e. prophecies, as in Jeremiah 25:1; Jeremiah 26:1; Jeremiah 27:1; Jeremiah 30:1, &c. LETTER. writing. RESIDUE OF THE ELDERS. Compare Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 14:1; Ezekiel 20:1. THE PROPHETS: i.e. Ezekiel (Jeremiah 1:1); Daniel ...