A. M. 3416. 6 And Ishmael the son of Netha- 8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren. taken prisoners by Ishmael. 3 B. C. 588. 9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had A. M. 3416. cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain 2 because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain. 10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, & even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, h whom Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites. 1 Heb. in going and weeping. - Or, near Gedaliah. - Heb. || 1 Kings xv. 22; 2 Chron. xvi. 6. Chap. xliii. 6.- h Chap. of Israel, caused to be made in the midst of the city, Drink ye Verses 6-8. And Ishmael went forth to meet them,|| Mizpah, at the time he was at war with Baasha king weeping all along as he went—As if he sympathized with them, and bewailed, as they did, the desolations of Jerusalem. He appears to have been a complete hypocrite. As he met them he said, Come to Gedaliah-He invites them to the new governor for protection, as if he had been one of his courtiers and friends, and by these arts conceals his bloody design against them. And when they came into the midst|| of the city-Whence they could not easily escape; Ishmael slew them-Though they had given him no provocation, and indeed, as it seems, were entire strangers to him. And, no doubt, he took the offerings they had brought, and converted them to his own use: for he that did not hesitate to commit such || a murder certainly would not scruple to commit sa- || Jerusalem, Isa. xxxvi. 16. crilege. And cast them into the midst of the pit— Verses 10-13. Ishmael carried away captive all The words, and cast them, are not in the Hebrew, the residue of the people--All that he did not slay: which is literally, slew them in the midst of the pit. see note on verse 3; and among the rest Zedekiah's So also the LXX., eoḍašev autovs ɛis to opɛap. The daughters, who had been left to the care of Gedaliah, Complutensian edition, however, supplies kaι evɛ- when his sons were slain. These, it seems, being baker, and cast them, which accords with the reading recovered by Johanan, were taken with him into of the Syriac. The Vulgate renders the clause, in|| Egypt, where they perished among the other Jews. terfecit eos Ismael circa medium laci: Ishmael slew And Ishmael departed to go over to the Ammonites them about the middle of the lake, or, pool; and -Probably intending to make a present of the capBlaney reads, Ishmael massacred them at the pit. tives he was taking with him, to Baalis king of AmHe and the men that were with him-Hired, it seems, mon, by whom he had been instigated to the murder to assist him in this bloody work. But ten men were of Gedaliah. But when Johanan, and all the capfound that said, Slay us not, for we have treasures,|| tains heard, &c.—It would have been well if Joha&c. He slew seventy of them, but the remaining|| ten pleading for their lives, and urging that they had estates in the country of corn, oil, and honey, his covetousness prevailed over his cruelty, and he spared their lives, to become master of their property. nan, when he gave information to Gedaliah of Ishmael's treasonable design, had stayed with him; for he and his captains, and their forces, might have been a life-guard to him, and a terror to Ishmael, and so have prevented the mischief, without the effusion of blood. They took all the men, and went to fight Verse 9. Now the pit was it which Asa had made,|| with Ishmael—Upon receiving notice of the murders &c.—The word 2, here and elsewhere rendered he had committed, and which way he had gone, they pursued him, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon-Called the pool of Gibeon, of which we read 2 Sam. ii. 13. Now when all the peo497 pit, frequently signifies, a cistern, basin, or, reservoir; a large place made for receiving rain-water; which seems to be the meaning of the word here. This pit, or reservoir, Asa, who built and fortified || ple which were with Ishmael-Namely, the poor capVOL. III. ( 32 ) 3 Recovery of the prisoners. A. M. 3416. B. C. 588. 11 ¶ But when Johanan the son || from Johanan with eight men, and A. M. 3416. k of Kareah, and all the captains of went to the Ammonites. the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. 13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad. 14 So all the people that Ishmael had carned away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. 16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon: 17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of m Chimham, which is by Bethle-hem, to go to enter into Egypt. 18 Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped governor in the land. k Chap. xl. 7, 8, 13. 2 Sam. ii. 13. m 2 Sam. xix. 37, 38. Chapter xl. 5. tives whom he was taking into the land of the Am- even after they were, as they thought, redeemed. monites; saw Johanan, &c., they were glad—As|| they might well be, to see a probability of escaping out of the hands of the bloody man who had slain so many of their brethren: and they presently found an opportunity to wheel about, and come over to Johanan and his captains, Ishmael not attempting || to detain them, but readily quitting his prey to save his life. Verses 16-18. Then took Johanan and the captains, all the remnant of the people, &c.—It would have been a happy thing, if Johanan, when he had rescued the captives, would have sat quietly down with them, in the land of Judah, and governed them peaceably as Gedaliah did; but, instead of that, he is for leading them into the land of Egypt, as Ishmael would have led them into the land of the Ammonites; so that, though he got the command of them in a better way than Ishmael did, yet he did not use it much better. Gedaliah, who was of a meek and quiet spirit, was a great blessing to them; but Johanan, who was of a fierce and restless disposition, seems to have been permitted to get the command of them for their hurt, and to complete their ruin, || Thus did God still walk contrary to them, and thus did evil still pursue this sinful people. And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham-The same parcel of ground, probably, that David gave to Chimham, the son of Barzillai: see 2 Sam. xix. 38-40. Here Johanan made his headquarters, steering his course toward Egypt, either from a personal affection to that country, or an ancient national confidence in the Egyptians for help in distress. Because of the Chaldeans—As the person, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor in the land, was slain, it was not unreasonable for them to think that Nebuchadnezzar would consider the murder of him as an affront done to himself; and though Johanan had no hand in that villanous act, yet he did not know but the king of Babylon, being unacquainted with all the parties among the Jews, might look upon all that remained in the country as guilty, and might revenge the murder of his deputy governor upon them all. He therefore chooses for them a habitation, from whence they might, in a short time, go down into Egypt, which was Johanan's design, as we shall read in the next chapter. CHAPTER XLII. In this chapter, (1,) Johanan and the other captains of the poor Jews in Canaan solicit Jeremiah to pray for God's direction, respecting the course they should take, solemnly engaging to follow it, 1-6. (2,) By God's order Jeremiah encourages them to remain in Judea, assuring them that there only they would be safe and prosperous, 7-12. (3,) He dissuades inem from going to Egypt, as what would ruin them, 13-18. (4,) He admonishes them that their dissimulation, in thus consulting God, when they were determined to follow their own will, would be punished with destruction by the sword, famine, and pestilence, 19–22. 498 ( 32*) 3 Jeremiah directs the Jews A. M. 3416. B. C. 588. THEN all the captains of the forces, || we do not even according to all things A. M. 3416. a and Johanan the son of Kare- for the which the LORD thy God shall ah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all send thee to us. the people from the least even unto the greatest, 6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; h that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God. 7 ¶ And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. 8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; 10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. verse imply a perfect oath, the form of which lies in appealing to God as a witness of the sincerity of the hearts of those that swear, for a security to those to cret challenging of God to take vengeance upon those that give that security, if they should not act according to their promise. The thing these men promise is, that they would perfectly obey God's will, whether agreeable or disagreeable to them. And they further declare they were convinced that their prosperity and happiness entirely depended upon their complying with God's will, adding, That it may be well with us, &c., Verses 1-3. Then all the captains, and all the people-That is, both those captains, and many of the people; came near and said unto Jeremiah-whom the oath is given: which also includes a seWho was probably carried away with the other captives by Ishmael, and rescued by Johanan; Let, we beseech thee, our supplications be accepted before thee-Thus these men, though wretched hypocrites, yet address the prophet with great respect and reverence, and in words which implied that they thought themselves unworthy to be permitted to ask any favour of him. Probably the evidence they had had so lately of his being a true prophet of the Lord, by the accomplishment of all that he had foretold against both the city and temple, might in some measure occasion their showing him such respect. And pray for us, that the Lord may show us the way wherein we may walk-"It is the constant method of hypocrites to pretend an absolute submission to the will of God till that will is found to run counter to their inclinations or interest."-Lowth. Verses 7-10. And it came to pass after ten days— Thus long they were held in suspense, perhaps to punish them for their hypocrisy, or to show that Jeremiah did not speak of himself nor what he would; for he could not speak when he would, but was obliged to wait for instructions; the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah-Namely, the word mentioned, chap. xl. 1, to which the contents of the last Verses 4-6. Then Jeremiah said, I have heard two chapters, and the preceding part of this, are but you, &c.—That is, I will do for you what you desire. an historical preface. Then called he Johanan, and I will pray unto the Lord your God-They called all the captains, &c.-What the Lord had revealed the Lord Jeremiah's God: here Jeremiah calls him to him he declared publicly, both to the captains and their God, both to remind them of God's relation to to all the people, to those in the lowest as well as them, and of their duty toward him. And whatso- | to those in the highest station; and that fully and ever thing the Lord shall answer, I will declare-I faithfully as he had received it. Thus saith the will be faithful in giving you an account of what Lord, the God of Israel-If Jeremiah had been deGod shall reveal to me to be his will concerning you. sired to direct them by his own prudence, probably Then they said, The Lord be a true and faithful || he could not have determined what to advise them witness, &c.-The words of this and the following || to, the case being certainly difficult: but what he has The Jews assured of safety B. C. 588. JEREMIAH. A. M. 3416. 11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you, to save you, end to deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. 13 But if "ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, 14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread and there will we dwell: to advise is, that which the Lord God of Israel, to whom they had sent him, directed to be said. If ye will still abide in this land-That is, If you will give up all thoughts of going into the land of Egypt,|| and abide where you are, or in any part of Judea under subjection to, and in the protection of, the king of Babylon, into whose power I have given you; then will I build you, &c.—Then will I see to your security and prosperity, and make you a happy peo- || ple. For I repent me of the evil, &c.—I am satisfied with the punishment which your nation hath under- || gone, and now, if you do not destroy yourselves by new acts of disobedience, I will change the course of my providence toward you. God is said in Scrip- || ture to repent when he alters the outward methods of his providence toward any people or individual: || see note on Gen. vi. 6. Verses 11, 12. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon || -As if he had said, I know what you are afraid of; you fear lest the king of Babylon should send a force against you and utterly root you out, because one of your nation hath murdered his viceroy Gedaliah; but suffer not your passion of fear to rise too high on this account, and make you flee into Egypt. For I am with you to save you-For you shall have my presence with you, to deliver and preserve you, so that Nebuchadnezzar shall have neither inclination nor power to do you any harm. I will show mercies || unto you that he may have mercy, &c.-We are be- || holden to God for all the compassion and kindness which we meet with from men; though we may receive good from their hands, it is God who inclines their hearts to do it. And cause you to return to your own land-The mercy which God here promises || upon remaining in Judea. B. C. 588. 16 Then it shall come to pass, that A. M. 3416. the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. 2 these men is, that the king of Babylon should give them liberty to go every one to his own inheritance; for at present they were banished by their own fears from their own houses and estates, though not from their own country. Verses 13-18. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey-Hebrew, you `nhah, so as not to obey. If they did not continue in their own land, they disobeyed the voice of the Lord. Saying, No; we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, &c.-Their great sin was unbelief: they would not take the promise of God as a security to them for a quiet and peaceable abode, and a supply of all their wants, in Judea: but they resolved to go into Egypt, where they expected to have a greater certainty of peace and plenty. Therefore the Lord declares by his prophet, that the evils which they feared in Canaan should overtake them with double violence in Egypt, namely, both the sword and famine, by which they should die, and that they should be an execration and an astonishment, a curse and a reproach, (verse 18,) as God had threatened to make the inhabitants of Jerusalem, chap. xxiv. 9, and xxix. 18, where see the notes. And ye shall see this place no more—And in this, saith God, will I deal worse with you than with those who were carried captive to Babylon; many of them shall return, after the time fixed for the duration of their captivity is expired, but you shall return into this land no more. There was this aggravation in the sin of those Jews to whom God was now speaking by his prophet, that they had lately seen his words, by the same prophet, fully verified; yet would not take warning, but ran into the same sin of unbelief. deceitfully, either toward God, calling him to bear witness to their sincerity in a matter in which they were not sincere; or toward the prophet, sending him to inquire of God for them, and promising to act according as God should direct, when they never intended it; or, toward their own souls, as the margin Verse 19. The Lord hath said, Go ye not into Egypt-The good prophet, knowing how much it concerned this people to believe and obey the message God had sent to them by him, repeats again what he had urged before, assuring them it was by the command of the Lord that he said it. Know certainly that I have admonished you this day—reads it, Thus Blaney, Surely ye have practised Hebrew, 'ny, have testified to you, or, ad- deceit against your own souls, following the Masomonished you before witnesses. "God commanded retic reading of the margin, confirmed by twentythe Jews, by Moses, not to have any commerce with || two MSS. and five editions. The LXX. read or Egypt, that they might not practise the idolatrous εnovnрevoαove ev yvxais vμwv; for you have acted customs of that country, (Lev. xviii. 3,) with whose wickedly in your souls, and the Vulgate, because idolatries they had been defiled during their sojourn- || you have deceived your souls. Now I have this day ing there. Afterward he often reproved them by declared it to you-I went, according to your desire, his prophets for making alliances with Egypt. And to inquire of God for you; he revealed his will to there were particular reasons, at this time, for so se- me respecting you, and now I have as faithfully told vere a prohibition, as the words here and in the conyou what it is. But ye have not obeyed, &c.—Or, text import, namely, because the Jews either learned will not obey. If it be asked how Jeremiah knew several of their idolatrous practices from the Egyp- they would not obey God's will in this instance, tians, or, at least were confirmed in those evil cus- inasmuch as they had not yet declared their minds toms by their example. Besides, it was the rival to him, it must be answered, God had made their inkingdom that contended for empire with the Baby- tentions known to him. Now therefore know cerlonians; and so the Jews going into Egypt for pro- tainly that ye shall die by the sword, &c.-You tection was, in effect, refusing to submit themselves think to avoid death by going to Egypt to sojourn to the king of Babylon, to whom God had decreed for a little time, but you shall perish there, and that the government of Judea and all the neighbouring || by those very deaths which, by going thither, you countries, chap. xxvii. 6."-Lowth. seek to avoid. Observe, reader, we must expect Verses 20-22. For ye dissembled in your hearts- || disappointment, misery, and ruin to follow actions Hebrew, Dinynn, have used deceit. They acted done in disobedience to the revealed will of God CHAPTER XLIII. Here, (1,) Johanan and his companions, pretending that Jeremiah's faithful admonitions were not of God, but from Baruch, disregard them, and go to Egypt, taking the prophet along with them, 1-7. (2,) God sends them another message, importing, that the Chaldeans should quickly pursue them into Egypt, and ravage that country, 8–13. A. M. 3116. AND B. C. 588. ND it came to pass, that when || had sent him to them, even all these A. M. 3416, Jeremiah had made an end of words, speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God NOTES ON CHAPTER XLIII. a 2 Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all Chap. xlii. 1. observe many like instances in the books of Kings Verses 2, 3. Then spake Azariah, the son of and Chronicles, of the same persons being called by Hoshaiah-Called Jazaniah, chap. xlii. 1. We may || two different names. And all the proud men—They |
