Jeremiah 39:4

And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain. THE KING'S GARDEN. The "gate" to it from the upper city above was appropriated to the kings alone; "stairs" led down from Mount Zion and the palace to the king's garden below (). BY THE GATE BETWEEN THE TWO WALLS. Zedekiah might have held the upper city longer, but want of provisions drove him to flee, by the double wall south of Zion, toward the plains of Jericho (), in order to escape beyond Jordan to Arabia Deserta. He broke an opening in the wall to get out ...

he then adds, _After Zedekiah saw them, etc_. ; not that he came to that part, but after he understood that that part of the city was occupied by the enemies; for matters then had come to an extremity. _Then he fled with his men of war. _And here is set before us a sad spectacle: men in no way trained up for war were left in the city, women also and children were left there, while the men of war fled, inasmuch as their condition was worse, because they had delayed the taking of the city. It was then according to what is commonly done, that they fled. We yet see that ungodly men, after having long despised heavenly truth, flee in time of danger, and are so filled with terror, that they cast themselves headlong into many perils. This is a just reward to those who are not terrified by the threatenings of God, but become so hardened, that they too late acknowledge that they ought to have fea...

1-10 Jerusalem was so strong, that the inhabitants believed the enemy could never enter it. But sin provoked God to withdraw his protection, and then it was as weak as other cities. Zedekiah had his eyes put out; so he was condemned to darkness who had shut his eyes against the clear light of God's word. Those who will not believe God's words, will be convinced by the event. Observe the wonderful changes of Providence, how uncertain are earthly possessions; and see the just dealings of Providence: but whether the Lord makes men poor or rich, nothing will profit them while they cleave to their sins....

Verse Jeremiah 39:4. _WENT FORTH OUT OF THE CITY BY NIGHT_] Probably there was a _private passage under ground_, leading without the walls, by which Zedekiah and his followers might escape unperceived, till they had got some way from the city. _THE WAY OF THE PLAIN._] There were two roads from Jerusalem to Jericho. One passed over the mount of Olives; but, as this might have retarded his flight, he chose _the way of the plain_, and was overtaken near Jericho, perhaps about sixteen or eighteen miles from Jerusalem. He had probably intended to have passed the Jordan, in order to escape to Egypt, as the Egyptians were then his professed allies....

Compare the marginal reference. The differences between the two accounts are slight....

EXPOSITION This chapter is very confused as it stands. To restore order it is absolutely necessary to suppose that some passages (viz. Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 39:2, and Jeremiah 39:4) have been inserted by after thoughts. It is important to notice that the latter of these passages is omitted in the Septuagint. We need not go so far as to excise them altogether, but we must at any rate enclose them in parentheses. The chapter then becomes a narrative of the solemn session held by the Babylonian officers in the "middle gate," and the charge which they gave to Gedaliah to take Jeremiah under his protection. Verses 1, 2 appear to be taken from...

AND IT CAME TO PASS, [THAT] WHEN ZEDEKIAH THE KING OF JUDAH SAW THEM, AND ALL THE MEN OF WAR,.... That is, when Zedekiah and his soldiers saw the princes and generals of the Chaldean army enter the city through a breach made in the wall, and take possession of the middle gate; which they might see from some high tower where they were for safety, and to make their observation of the enemy: THEN THEY FLED; finding they were not able to keep their posts and resist the enemy: AND WENT FORTH OUT OF THE CITY BY NIGHT; it being the middle of the night, as before observed out of Josephus, that the city was taken; and they took the advantage of the darkness of the night to make their escape: this they chose rather to do than to surrender to the Chaldeans, and lie at their mercy: and they went BY THE WAY OF THE KING'S GARDEN, BY THE GATE BETWIXT THE TWO WALLS; which lay either between the wall...

CHAPTER 39 _ 1. The fall of Jerusalem and the fate of Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:1) _ 2. Nebuchadnezzar's kindness to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:10) 3. Ebed-melech's reward (Jeremiah 39:15) Jeremiah 39:1. The Word of God comes true; the prophecy of Jeremiah is vindicated! The mighty army of Nebuchadnezzar returned to the city; for many months the siege goes on under indescribable suffering. How horrible it must have been! Then the city fell and the victors rushed in; the work of slaughter and burning began. According to Jewish tradition it was on the ninth day of the month Ab. On the same date in

THE FALL OF JERUSALEM: JEREMIAH SPARED. This paragraph well illustrates the growth of the OT text; _cf._ 2 Kings 25:1 (also reproduced in Jeremiah 52:4, from which Jeremiah 39:1 f. and Jeremiah 39:4; Jeremiah 39:13 have been here interpolated. The former verses (Jeremiah 39:1 f., bracketed in RV) break the Hebrew connexion, and refer back to the time prior to the capture of the city; the latter ...

THE PLAIN. To avoid the Jordan....