Jeremiah 49:26

Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts. THEREFORE - i:e., since Damascus is doomed to fall, "Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets....

Here the Prophet in a manner corrects himself, and declares, that though the ruin of Damascus would astonish all, yet it was certain; and so I explain the particle לכן,_lacen _ It is regarded by the Hebrews as a particle assigning a reason — therefore, for this cause. They then think that a reason is here expressed why God had decreed to destroy that city, even because it had formerly made war with the Israelites, and then with the Jews, and thus it had not ceased to persecute the Church of God. But it is to be taken here in a simpler way, as an affirmative, according to its meaning in many other places. The Prophet then checks here the astonishment which he had expressed, as though he had said, “However this may be, yet it is so appointed by God, though all should be astonished at the destruction of Damascus, yet _fall shall its young _men, etc.” The meaning is, that no power under heav...

23-27 How easily God can dispirit those nations that have been most celebrated for valour! Damascus waxes feeble. It was a city of joy, having all the delights of the sons of men. But those deceive themselves who place their happiness in carnal joys....

EXPOSITION On Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazer, and Elam. JEREMIAH 49:1 The violence of the Ammonites shall be severely punished. JEREMIAH 49:1 HATH ISRAEL NO SONS! The violent seizure, perpetrated before his eyes, of parts of the sacred territory, forces the indignant question from the prophet, "How can these things be?" It was so on a former occasion (see Jeremiah 2:14), and it is so again, now that the Ammonites are occupying the land of the Gadites. True, the present generation has lost its property, but the next is the heir to all its rights and privileges. THEIR KING; rather, _their King—_the

THEREFORE HER YOUNG MEN SHALL FALL IN HER STREETS,.... Or "verily" o so Jarchi interprets it as an oath; Jehovah swearing that so it should be; that her young men, her choice ones such who were the flower of the city, and on whom its future prosperity depended; these should fall by the sword of the Chaldeans in the streets of the city, when having entered, and taken it: AND ALL THE MEN OF WAR SHALL BE CUT OFF IN THAT DAY, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS; soldiers and officers, men of strength and valour in whom the inhabitants of Damascus trusted for their defence; these should be cut oil by the sword of the enemy at the time of the siege, and taking of it. o לכן "certe", Gataker....

CHAPTER 49 Concerning Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, and Elam _ 1. Concerning the Ammonites (Jeremiah 49:1) _ 2. Concerning Edom (Jeremiah 49:7) 3. Concerning Damascus (Jeremiah 49:23) 4. Concerning Kedar and Hazor (Jeremiah 49:28) 5. Against Elam (Jeremiah 49:34) Ammon was the younger brother of Moab, and, like the Moabites, the Ammonites were a wicked people, though they had no cities like Moab, but were restless wanderers; they were also the enemies of Israel. The predic

DAMASCUS. The prophecy refers to the Aramæ ans; Hamath, 110 miles N. of Damascus, and Arpad, 95 m. N. of Hamath, never belonged to the Damascene kingdom. They were absorbed into the Assyrian empire c. 720 B.C.; _cf._ Isaiah 10:9. There is no mention of these cities in the list of foreign prophecies, Jeremiah 25:18 ff. The prophecy announces the invasion of certain Aramæ an cities in conventional terms drawn from other prophecies. Jeremiah 49:23. _Cf._ Isaiah 57:20; read, after tidings, partly with LXX, they surge as the sea; they are anxious and cannot be quiet....

MEN. Hebrew, plural of' _'enosh_. App-14....

See introd. note. "Therefore" (Jeremiah 49:26) is quite unsuitable here, while fitting the connexion in Jeremiah 50:30....

VII. AN ORACLE CONCERNING DAMASCUS Jeremiah 49:23-27 Damascus was the capital of the kingdom of Aram (Syria), the northern neighbor of Israel. During the ninth century before Christ the Syrians were the most formidable foe with whom the nations of Israel and Judah had to do battle. Damascus reached the height of its power under Hazael (841-801 B.C.) who oppressed Israel and Judah throughout his reign. Damascus suffered greatly in the campaign of Shalmaneser IV in 797 B.C. and the king of Israel was able to recover the territories which he had lost to Hazael (2 Kings 13:25). Under king Rezin (750-732 B.C.) Syria again oppressed the people of God (2 Kings 16:6) and many Judeans were taken captive to Damasc