Jeremiah 47:1

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza. Pharaoh-necho probably smote Gaza on his return after defeating Josiah at Megiddo (). (Grotius.) Or Pharaoh-hophra (; ) is intended: probably, on his return from his fruitless attempt to save Jerusalem from the Chaldeans, he smote Gaza, in order that his expedition might not be thought altogether in vain (Calvin). (Amos 1:6.)...

Jeremiah prophesies here against the Philistines, who were enemies to the Israelites, and had contrived against them many cruel and unjust things. There is then no doubt, but that God intended to testify, by this prophecy, his love towards the Israelites, for he undertook their cause, and avenged the wrongs done to them. We hence perceive why God had predicted the ruin of the Philistines, even that the Israelites might know his paternal love towards them, as he set himself against their enemies; and thus he gave them a reason for patience, because it behooved them to wait until God fulfilled this prophecy. And he points out the time, _Before Pharaoh smote Aza, _or _Gaza_. The ancient Gaza, as far as we can find out, was near the sea; but after it was destroyed, another was built, which is mentioned by Luke, (Acts 8:26;) it appears from heathen writers that it was a celebrated city and op...

CHAPTER XLVII _Among the nations doomed to suffer from the hostilities of_ _Nebuchadnezzar are the Philistines_, (see Jeremiah 25:20.) _And the calamities predicted in this chapter befell them_ _probably during the long siege of Tyre, when their country was_ _desolated to prevent their giving Tyre or Sidon any assistance_, 1-5. _The whole of this chapter is remarkably elegant. The address to_ _the sword of Jehovah, at the close of it, is particularly a_ very beautiful and bold personi

THAT PHARAOH - Pharaoh-Necho though defeated at Carchemish, was probably able to seize Gaza upon his retreat, when obviously the possession of so strong a fortress would be most useful to him to prevent the entrance of the victorious Chaldaeans into Egypt....

PROPHECY ON THE PHILISTINES. EXPOSITION It is clear from the contents of the prophecy (and the inference is thoroughly confirmed by its position) that it was written after the battle of Carchemish, with reference to the dreaded northern foe—Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. The prophecy against Egypt precedes, because Egypt was by far the most important of the nations threatened by the advance of Nebuchadnezzar. But chronologically and geographically, it ought rather to have been placed at the end of the series, for Palestine had to be conquered before a design upon Egypt could have a reasonable chance of success. The commentators have given themselves much unnecessary trouble with the heading in Jeremiah 47:1, which assigns the date of the prophecy to a period prior (as it would seem) to the battle of

THE WORD OF THE LORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAH THE PROPHET AGAINST THE PHILISTINES,.... As the former prophecies were against the Egyptians, the friends and allies of the Jews, in whom they trusted; this is against the Philistines, the near neighbours of the Jews, and their implacable enemies: the time of this prophecy was, BEFORE PHARAOH SMOTE GAZA; one of the five cities of the Philistines, a very strong and fortified place, as its name signifies; Acts 8:26. The Jews, in their chronicle, say t this was fulfilled in the eighth year of Zedekiah, when Pharaoh came out of Egypt, while the Chaldeans were besieging Jerusalem; which they hearing of, broke up the siege, and went forth to meet him; upon which he went to Gaza, and destroyed that, and returned to Egypt again. Both Jarchi and Kimchi make mention of this, but say it was in the tenth year of Zedekiah; and which, no

CHAPTER 47 Concerning the Philistines This brief chapter is concerning the inhabitants of the borderland of Canaan, called Philistia. This announced judgment was fulfilled a short time after it was spoken by the prophet....

JEREMIAH 47. PHILISTIA. Instead of Jeremiah 47:1, LXX has simply On the Philistines, which is probably original. The waters rising from the north (Jeremiah 47:2) would suggest Babylon, not Egypt, as the foe; the editorial reference to Egypt in 1 might be suggested (wrongly) by Jeremiah 47:5. Pharaoh is supposed to have smitten Gaza (Cadytis, Herod. ii. 159) in 608. The devastating waters (Isaiah 8:7 f.) of an overflowing wady flood the land (Jeremiah 47:2); the terror of the enemy's approach breaks even the closest bonds of affection ...

THE FORTY-THIRD PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH (see book comments for Jeremiah). the LORD. Hebrew. _Jehovah._ App-4. AGAINST. concerning. Compare Jeremiah 48:1; Jeremiah 49:1; Jeremiah 49:7; Jeremiah 49:23. BEFORE. To show that this prophecy was not the anticipation of human foresight. PHARAOH. Pharaoh-necho, after his victory over Josiah (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20). GAZA. He

This _v_. in LXX consists simply of the words "Concerning the Philistines." At any rate we shall probably be right in considering "before that … Gaza" as a gloss added by a scribe who had regard to Jeremiah 47:5, but failing to see that the disaster there spoken of was to come on Gaza from the north, not from Egypt, identified it with Pharaoh-neco's capture of "Kadytis," probably Gaza (Herod. II. 159), after the battle of Megiddo (b.c. 608)....