Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 24:8
And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
8. them that dwell in the land of Egypt ] Whether those who accompanied Jehoahaz (2Ki 23:34), or others who during the subsequent reigns also took refuge there, as being a kingdom opposed to the Babylonian power. The Assuan papyri (see Intr. p. xix., note) shew that in b.c. 525 there was a colony which had existed there for a considerable time previously.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. So will I give Zedekiah] I will treat these as they deserve. They shall be carried into captivity, and scattered through all nations. Multitudes of those never returned to Judea; the others returned at the end of seventy years.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Whither it is probable many of the Jews had fled, upon the coming, or noise of the coming, of the king of Babylon, as they had done before, Isa 30:2; 31:1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. in . . . EgyptMany Jewshad fled for refuge to Egypt, which was leagued with Judea againstBabylon.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil,…. Here follows an explication of the evil figs, and an application of them to the wicked Jews:
surely thus saith the Lord, so will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah; who was then the reigning king of Judah, Jeconiah’s father’s brother; whom the king of Babylon had made king in his stead, and changed his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah, 2Ki 24:17; him the Lord threatens to give up to ruin and destruction, or to deliver into the hands of the enemy:
and his princes, and the residue of them, that remain in this land; the rest of the inhabitants of Jerusalem that continued in the land of Judea, and were not carried captive:
and them that dwell in the land of Egypt; who had fled thither for safety upon the invasion of their land, and besieging their city; all these being like to the bad figs, exceeding evil and wicked, are threatened to be delivered into the hands of their enemies, though they might think themselves safe and secure where they were.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And as one deals with the bad uneatable figs, i.e., throws them away, so will the Lord deliver up to ignominious ruin Zedekiah with his princes and the remainder of the people, both those still staying in the land and those living in Egypt. This, the fate awaiting them, is more fully described in Jer 24:9 and Jer 24:10. In Jer 24:8 the “yea, thus saith,” is inserted into the sentence by way of repetition of the “thus saith,” Jer 24:5. is resumed and expanded by in Jer 24:9. The “princes” are Zedekiah’s courtiers. Those in Egypt are they who during the war had fled thither to hide themselves from judgment. From the beginning of Jer 24:9 to is verbally the same as Jer 15:4, save that is added to make more marked the contrast to , Jer 24:5 – the evil, namely, that is done to them. Hitz., Ew., Umbr., Gr., following the lxx, delete this word, but without due cause. The further description of the ill-usage in “for a reproach,” etc., is based on Deu 28:37; and is intensified by the addition of “and for an object of cursing,” to show that in their case the curse there recorded will be fulfilled. From the last words, according to which disgrace will light on them in all the lands they are driven into, it appears that captivity will fall to the lot of such as are yet to be found in the land. But captivity involves new hostile invasions, and a repeated siege and capture of Jerusalem; during which many will perish by sword, famine, and plague. Thus and by deportation they shall be utterly rooted out of the land of their fathers. Cf. Jer 29:17., where Jeremiah repeats the main idea of this threatening.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 8-10: ZEDEKIAH’S KINGDOM-ROTTEN FlGS
1. Zedekiah and his regime, With those who remain in the land, and those who have fled to Egypt, will experience the full weight of God’s anger because of their hopeless degradation, (vs. 8; Jer 39:5-9; Eze 12:11-13; Jer 44:26-30).
a. They can be NO KINGDOM PEOPLE, because they are rotten to the core!
b. For them Jeremiah has the most bitter scorn; there is no need to imagine that pure metal can be refined from such slag as they are, (Jer 6:26-30).
2. God will give them up to be tossed from kingdom to kingdom because of their sin, (vs 9a; Jer 15:4; Jer 29:18; Jer 34:17).
3. Wherever God drives them, they will be a reproach and a proverb – objects of ridicule and cursing, (vs. 9b; 1Ki 9:7; Psa 44:13-14; comp. Isa 65:15).
4. They will be consumed by sword, famine and pestilence until the land of promise is liberated from their corrupting ways, (vs. 10; comp. Jer 21:9; Jer 27:8; Isa 51:19; Eze 5:12-17; Mat 23:38).
5. Those who remained in Jerusalem, following the deportation of 597 B.C., would have regarded THEMSELVES as the “good figs.”
a. Surely they were superior to those who had been led away; after all, had not God SPARED them from exile?
b. But God’s ways and thoughts are SO DIFFERENT from those of sinful, self-centered men! (Isa 55:9).
c. Those taken to Babylon would escape the terrible hardships awaiting the sinners that remained in Jerusalem and Judea.
d. And, they would form a remnant that God, in His own time, would bring back to the covenant-land to rebuild the nation.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
God, after having promised to deal kindly with the captives, now declares that he would execute heavier punishment on King Zedekiah, and the whole people who yet remained in their own country. We have stated why God exhibited this vision to the Prophet, even that he might support their minds who saw nothing but grounds of despair, and that also, on the other hand, he might correct their pride who flattered themselves in their own lot, because God had deferred his vengeance as to them. Then the Prophet, having given comfort to the miserable exiles, now speaks against Zedekiah and his people, who boasted that God was propitious to them, and that they had not only been fortunate, but also wise in continuing in their own country.
He then says that Zedekiah and his princes, and all who remained in Judea, were like the bad figs, which could not be eaten on account of their bitterness. I have said that this is to be referred to punishment and not to guilt. They had sinned, I allow, most grievously; but we are to regard the design of the Prophet. The meaning then is, that though the condition of those who had been driven into captivity was for the present harder, yet God would deal more severely with those who remained, because he had for a time spared them, and they did not repent, but hardened themselves more and more in their wickedness.
Now we know that Zedekiah was set over the kingdom of Judah, when Jeconiah surrendered himself to Nebuchadnezzar: he was the uncle of Jeconiah, and reigned eleven years; and during that time he ought to have been at least wise at the expense of another. For Eliakim, who was also called Jehoiakim, had been chastised, and that not only once; but Nebuchadnezzar, after having spoiled the temple, rendered him tributary to himself, on his return to Chaldea. At length, after having been often deceived by him, he became extremely displeased with him; and his son, who had reigned with his father, three months after his death, voluntarily surrendered himself into the power and will of the conqueror. Mathaniah afterwards reigned, of whom the Prophet speaks here. So, he says, will I render (125) Zedekiah (called previously Mathaniah) the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnants of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, (for the greater part had been led into exile,) and those who dwell in the land of Egypt, for many had fled thither; and we know that they were confederates with the Egyptians, and that through a vain confidence in them they often rebelled.
And this was also the reason why the prophets so sharply reproved them: they relied on the help of Egypt, and took shelter under its protection. When, therefore, they found themselves exposed to the will of their enemies, they fled into Egypt. But Nebuchadnezzar afterwards, as we shall see, conquered Egypt also. Thus it happened that they were only for a short time beyond the reach of danger. But as fugitive slaves, when recovered, are afterwards treated more severely by their masters, so also the rage of King Nebuchadnezzar became more violent against them. It now follows —
(125) Rather “make.” The verb נתן, to give, means often to make, to constitute; and such is its meaning evidently here. As the figs were bad, unfit for eating; so God would make Zedekiah, the princes, etc., like them. The previous words, “yea, thus saith Jehovah,” would be better included in a parenthesis:
8. But like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they being so bad, (yea, thus saith Jehovah,) so will I make Zedekiah, etc.
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. The meaning of the bad figs (Jer. 24:8-10)
TRANSLATION
(8) But as the bad figs which were so bad they could not be eaten, surely thus says the LORD: Thus will I make Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and who dwell in the land of Egypt. (9) And I will give them over for trembling, for evil to all the kingdoms of the land; for reproach and for a proverb, for a by-word and for a curse in every place where I drive them. (10) And I will send against them the sword, the famine and the plague until they are utterly consumed from upon the ground which I gave to them and to their fathers.
COMMENTS
The basket of bad figs is symbolic of those who had not been taken into captivity in 597 B.C., those to whom Jeremiah was to proclaim the word of God for yet a decade. God would make Zedekiah the king, his princes, and those who remained in Jerusalem like the basket of bad figs. This probably means that in His permissive will God would allow these hardened sinners to continue in their course of obstinacy and rebellion until they finally were fit for nothing but destruction. The phrase who dwell in the land of Egypt (Jer. 24:8) refers to those who were taken captive by Pharaoh Necho in 609 B.C. when king Jehoahaz was deported and sent to Egypt in chains. It may well be that other Jews fled to Egypt during the Babylonian invasions of 605 B.C. and 597 B.C.
The future of those rotten figs, those who remained in Judah, was far from bright. God will give them over to all kingdoms of the earth i.e., they will be scattered far and near. But wherever they flee they will be in constant fear of being delivered into the hands of their enemies. These fugitives would be ridiculed and mistreated by foreigners. They would be so low and despicable that wherever they go men will refer to these Jews in their reproaches, proverbs, by-words and curses. Whenever one might wish to pronounce a curse against another he would say, May you become like the accused Jews (Jer. 24:9). Those who were not able to flee the doomed land would die by the sword of the enemy and by the famine and plague which were the direct results of enemy invasion. Thus by one means or another the nation Judah would be utterly consumed from upon the land which God had given to their fathers (Jer. 24:10).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(8) And them that dwell in the land of Egypt.These were, in fact, such as had been carried into captivity with Jehoahaz by Pharaoh-nechoh (see Note on Jer. 22:11), or had fled thither in order to avoid submission to Nebuchadnezzar, and were settled in Migdol, and Tahpanhes, and Noph. We meet with them later on in Jeremiah 44. For these there was to be no return, no share in the work of restoration. They formed the nucleus of the Jewish population of Egypt, and in course of time (B.C. 150) set up a rival temple at Leontopolis. (See Note on Isa. 19:19.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. But as one throws away evil figs, so God will throw away Zedekiah and his princes. Even those who have taken refuge in Egypt are remembered in this curse. The language here used is taken substantially from Deu 28:25; Deu 28:37, which see.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 24:8. So will I give Zedekiah, &c. So will I render Zedekiah, &c. Houbigant.
REFLECTIONS.Though, in general, the prophet’s word was rejected by the people, yet there were some who heard it, and to whom it was a savour of life unto life. And though, the nation’s iniquities now being full, they fell into the promiscuous ruin, yet even in their captivity God will take care of them, and make even this most afflictive providence work for the good of the sincere.
1. The date of the vision is in the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign, when Nebuchadnezzar had carried away Jeconiah the king, and the princes of Judah, captives to Babylon, and with them the carpenters and smiths; either to employ them in his own works, or to deprive the captive land of their assistance in making fortifications and weapons of war.
2. The vision itself consisted of two baskets of figs, placed before the temple; the one, vile and refuse, which could not be eaten; the other very good. The explication of which the Lord gives him.
[1.] The good figs were the captives gone into Babylon: these God promises to regard, to cause their captivity to issue for their good; those who were faithful should be improved in the furnace of affliction, and many who were otherwise till then, should be, through grace, wrought upon and led to repentance by the visitation. In consequence of which, the eyes of his favour should be upon them, they should be again restored and firmly established in their own land; and, better than all temporal good, the Lord engages to enrich them with enlarged spiritual understanding, and to bestow on them the best of blessings; I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord, by experience of his power, grace, and love exerted eminently for them, and exercised richly towards them; and they shall be my people, enjoying his protection, and taken into covenant with him, and I will be their God, their helper and defenders their portion, their exceeding great reward; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart, in simplicity and sincerity, ashamed of their backsliding, and unfeignedly penitent. Note. (1.) The ways of providence are mysterious; what seemed the greatest affliction, proves often in its issue the most substantial blessing. (2.) God’s hand is to be acknowledged in all our sufferings; whatever instruments are employed, we must say, I became dumb, and opened not my mouth, for it was thy doing. (3.) If ever we come to the true knowledge of God, we must consider it as the gift of his grace; for without this, we can know nothing, as we ought to know. (4.) Whatever our sins and backslidings have been, whenever through grace we have a heart to return unto him, we may be assured that his arms are still open to receive us.
[2.] The evil figs represented the remnant which were left in Jerusalem under Zedekiah, who, though they stood before the temple, yet were much worse than their brethren who had gone into captivity; for not the greatest sinners are always the first to suffer; God permits them to stand to fill up the measure of their iniquities, while he corrects his dear children with the scourges of paternal love: but their judgment advances; surely, thus saith the Lord, the decree is gone forth, and the execution of it sure; Zedekiah and his princes, with the residue of Jerusalem, are devoted to destruction; nor should they, who fled to Egypt for shelter, be exempted, since thither the judgments of God should follow them. The sword, the famine, and the pestilence, shall consume them; and those who survive be doomed to a miserable slavery, worse than death; scattered into all lands for their hurt, where they shall have no intercourse to administer friendly consolation to each other; and being hardened, instead of repentant, under their sufferings, their yoke should be made heavy, and their persons despicable and odious; they should be a reproach, a proverb, a taunt, and a curse, in all places whither God would drive them; and this seems to have a reference, not only to their desolations under Nebuchadnezzar, but also to look forward to their last more terrible destruction by the Romans; and the truth of the prediction appears verified this day in that unhappy people, who live under the evident curse of God, and the contempt of all nations whither they are scattered.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Ver. 8. And as the evil figs. ] Zedekiah and his subjects, who were looked upon as the happier, because at home; and derided, likely, Jeconiah and his concaptives as cowards. Sure it is, that they were not bettered by their brethren’s miseries.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 24:8-10
8’But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness-indeed, thus says the LORD-so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. 10I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’
Jer 24:8-10 The royal family of Zedekiah and all his helpers will be abandoned (BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERFECT). This VERB has a wide semantic field. The context requires give over (cf. Num 21:3; Num 21:29; Deu 7:2; Deu 7:23; Deu 31:5; Jdg 20:13; etc.). This is so shocking in light of 2 Samuel 7!
Jer 24:8 the remnant of Jerusalem See Special Topic: The Remnant, Three Senses .
the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt Who these are depends on to whom Jer 24:8-10 refer. It probably refers to those in Zedekiah’s day, after the exile of 597 B.C. If so, then who are the ones?
1. those taken into exile by Pharaoh Necho along with Jehoahaz (609 B.C.; cf. 2Ki 23:31-34)
2. pro-Egypt supporters who fled when they saw Babylon invading
3. a future reference to those who fled to Egypt after the murder of Gedaliah (cf. Jeremiah 40-41)
Jer 24:9-10 These two verses describe what YHWH will do to those who remain in Judah and those who fled to Egypt.
1. make them a terror (BDB 266)
2. make them an evil (BDB 949)
3. make them a reproach (BDB 357)
4. make them a proverb (BDB 605)
5. make them a taunt (BDB 1042)
6. make them a curse (BDB 887)
7. send the sword
8. send the famine
9. send the pestilence
This was because of their continuing, unrepentant covenant disobedience. YHWH revoked the covenant promises made to their forefathers (cf. Jer 24:10). Instead of the nations seeing YHWH’s mercy, grace, and justice in the covenant people, they saw His judgment (cf. Deu 28:25; Deu 28:37; Eze 36:22-23). This very purpose in YHWH’s calling Abraham (cf. Gen 12:3) has been compromised!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 24:8-10
Jer 24:8-10
REGARDING THE BAD FIGS
And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt, I will even give them up to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
The bad figs…
(Jer 24:8) These are identified here as Zedekiah the king of Judah and his princes, along with all of the rest of the people who remained behind in Judah after the deportation of the first wave of captives. Note also that even the Jews who had fled to Egypt or other nations are also included among the bad figs. Only the people who suffered the discipline of the captivity would be used by God in his future plans for Israel, and not all of them, but only those who with a whole heart would repent and turn to the true God.
“Green’s word on the bad figs: They were the self-righteous remainder of the people in Jerusalem and Judah who had a spirit of arrogant superiority, scorn for their less fortunate countrymen in captivity, and a superstitious reliance on such sanctified shams as the inviolability of Jerusalem and the Temple, and a trust in the efficacy of empty, formalistic worship.”
These verses, of course, prophecy another invasion and destruction of Jerusalem, which indeed came to pass about a decade after the first invasion. There would be other captives to join their countrymen in Babylon; and the Jews would be totally rooted out of the land that God had given to them and to their fathers.
Among all the kingdoms of the earth…
(Jer 24:9) This is a reiteration of the Mosaic curse of Deu 28:25; Deu 28:37, the fulfillment of which is witnessed by a Jewish settlement in practically every city on the face of the earth.
There is, of course, far more in this prophecy than the transport of Jews to Babylon. “The prophecy of Jer 24:10 was partly fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, but more so in the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans under Vespasian and Titus in A.D. 70.” It was upon that occasion that the status of racial Israel, already long reduced, was at last terminated, as regards any racial consideration whatever having any bearing whatever upon who is saved or not saved.
3. The meaning of the bad figs (Jer 24:8-10)
The basket of bad figs is symbolic of those who had not been taken into captivity in 597 B.C., those to whom Jeremiah was to proclaim the word of God for yet a decade. God would make Zedekiah the king, his princes, and those who remained in Jerusalem like the basket of bad figs. This probably means that in His permissive will God would allow these hardened sinners to continue in their course of obstinacy and rebellion until they finally were fit for nothing but destruction. The phrase who dwell in the land of Egypt (Jer 24:8) refers to those who were taken captive by Pharaoh Necho in 609 B.C. when king Jehoahaz was deported and sent to Egypt in chains. It may well be that other Jews fled to Egypt during the Babylonian invasions of 605 B.C. and 597 B.C.
The future of those rotten figs, those who remained in Judah, was far from bright. God will give them over to all kingdoms of the earth i.e., they will be scattered far and near. But wherever they flee they will be in constant fear of being delivered into the hands of their enemies. These fugitives would be ridiculed and mistreated by foreigners. They would be so low and despicable that wherever they go men will refer to these Jews in their reproaches, proverbs, by-words and curses. Whenever one might wish to pronounce a curse against another he would say, May you become like the accused Jews (Jer 24:9). Those who were not able to flee the doomed land would die by the sword of the enemy and by the famine and plague which were the direct results of enemy invasion. Thus by one means or another the nation Judah would be utterly consumed from upon the land which God had given to their fathers (Jer 24:10).
Two Baskets of Figs – Jer 24:1-10
Open It
1. When has some ostensibly “bad” news turned out to be good news in disguise?
2. Why do you think many people find it difficult to make a sincere apology?
Explore It
3. Which of the inhabitants of Judah were taken into exile in Babylon? (Jer 24:1)
4. What historic event coincided with Jeremiahs word from the Lord? (Jer 24:1)
5.What was the vision with which the Lord instructed Jeremiah? (Jer 24:2)
6. How great was the contrast between the two batches of figs? (Jer 24:3)
7. How did God look upon the people who went into captivity in Babylon? (Jer 24:5)
8. What was Gods intention with regard to the exiles from Judah? (Jer 24:6)
9. What gift did God promise to the exiles? (Jer 24:7)
10. How were Zedekiah and the survivors like poor figs? (Jer 24:8-10)
11. How would the rest of the world come to view Zedekiah? (Jer 24:9)
12. What did God intend to send against Judah? (Jer 24:10)
13. How long would Gods opposition to the exiles from Judah last? (Jer 24:10)
Get It
14. How is this passage a demonstration of both Gods mercy and His righteous judgment?
15. How is God Himself involved in producing a people fit to worship and serve Him?
16. What was the key inward difference between the exiles and the people who fled to Egypt or remained in the land?
17. How does a person develop a heart to know God?
18. When has Gods discipline in your life brought renewal to your spiritual condition?
Apply It
19. How can you prepare yourself to see Gods goodness in your next trying circumstance?
20. How can you thank God for allowing you to know Him?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Twenty-Four
By Brent Kercheville
1 Jer 24:1 sets the date at 597 BC. What happened in this invasion?
2 What prophet was carried away into captivity during this attack?
3 What is the message concerning the good figs (Jer 24:4-7)?
4 Please note: who are the good figs in the vision?
5 What is the message concerning the bad figs (Jer 24:8-10)?
6 Please note: who are the bad figs in the vision?
4 What is the surprising message about who is Gods remnant from this vision?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God?
What did you learn about him?
What will you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
as: Jer 24:2, Jer 24:5, Jer 29:16-18
So will: Jer 21:10, Jer 32:28, Jer 32:29, Jer 34:17-22, Jer 37:10, Jer 37:17, Jer 38:18-23, Jer 39:2-9, Jer 52:2-11, Eze 12:12-16, Eze 17:11-21
and them: Jer 43:1 – Jer 44:30
Reciprocal: Gen 41:18 – General Deu 28:36 – bring thee 2Ki 24:19 – And he did 2Ki 25:5 – and overtook Pro 6:12 – naughty Jer 20:5 – I will deliver Jer 21:7 – I will Jer 29:17 – Behold Jer 38:2 – He Jer 39:6 – slew all Jer 39:16 – Behold Lam 4:11 – Lord Eze 10:2 – scatter Eze 12:10 – prince Eze 12:20 – General Eze 15:3 – General Eze 15:6 – General Eze 17:9 – shall he Eze 19:1 – the princes Eze 21:25 – profane Eze 23:28 – whom thou Zep 1:2 – I will
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 24:8. As stated before, a part of the nation was to fare less favorably than others and that part was represented by the had figs. This had specific reference to Zedekiah and his relatives. he being the last king to sit on the throne in Jerusalem. He Ignored the admonitions of the prophet to submit peaceably to the king of Babylon. He thought he could outwit the Invaders and thus thwart the inspired predictions of the prophet. He tried to escape but was overtaken, and he and his relatives were treated with
great disgrace by the king of Babylon. The history of this- may be seen in 2Ki 25:4-7.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 24:8-10. As the evil figs so will I give Zedekiah Or rather, so will I make Zedekiah, as should be rendered here, and as the same verb is rendered Jer 29:17. And they that dwell in the land of Egypt Whither, it is probable, many of the Jews had fled upon the coming, or the report of the coming, of the king of Babylon: see chap. 43., 44. I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms, &c. The Lord, by his prophet, uses the words of Moses, wherewith to express those tremendous judgments which he designed to bring upon this wicked prince and people, as well because the Jews had, or professed to have, great reverence for that man of God, how little soever they had for Jeremiah, as to let them see that what the Lord here threatened, and soon would bring to pass, was but an accomplishment of what he foretold by Moses should befall them in case of their disobedience, by which predictions they ought to have taken warning. To be a reproach, and a proverb, and a taunt
To be made a jest of and a by-word: see Dan 9:16. And a curse in all places whither I shall drive them Men shall use this phrase as a form of execration, God make thee like Zedekiah, and those who remained with him; compare Jer 29:22. On the contrary, to make a man a blessing, implies that his name should be mentioned as a signal instance of Gods favour: see Gen 48:20; Zec 8:13. Till they be consumed from off the land My judgments shall follow them so closely that neither they nor any of their posterity shall ever enjoy any possession or property in their own country. This seems to be spoken of those miserable remains of the Jews who, when the rest were carried into captivity, were, either by secreting themselves, or some other means left in the desolated country.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
24:8 And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell {d} in the land of Egypt:
(d) Who fled there for comfort.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The bad figs corresponded to King Zedekiah, his administrators, the people who remained in Jerusalem and Judah, and the Judahites who had already fled to Egypt for safety.
"We are not told when people fled to Egypt, but those of pro-Egyptian sympathies may have settled there when Jehoahaz was taken there in 609 B.C. (2Ki 23:34) or when Jehoiakim became Nebuchadrezzar’s vassal (cf. 603 B.C.) or even when Nebuchadrezzar invaded Judah in 598/7 B.C." [Note: Thompson, pp. 508-9.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER XXVI
INTRODUCTORY
“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”- Jer 31:1
IN this third book an attempt is made to present a general view of Jeremiahs teaching on the subject with which he was most preoccupied-the political and religious fortunes of Judah. Certain (30, 31, and, in part, 33) chapters detach themselves from the rest, and stand in no obvious connection with any special incident of the prophets life. These are the main theme of this book, and have been dealt with in the ordinary method of detailed exposition. They have been treated separately, and not woven into the continuous narrative, partly because we thus obtain a more adequate emphasis upon important aspects of their teaching, but chiefly because their date and occasion cannot be certainly determined. With them other sections have been associated, on account of the connection of subject. Further material for a synopsis of Jeremiahs teaching has been collected from chapters 21-49, generally, supplemented by brief references to the previous chapters. Inasmuch as the prophecies of our book do not form an ordered treatise on dogmatic theology, but were uttered with regard to individual conduct and critical events, topics are not exclusively dealt with in a single section, but are referred to at intervals throughout. Moreover, as both the individuals and the crises were very much alike, ideas and phrases are constantly reappearing, so that there is an exceptionally large amount of repetition in the Book of Jeremiah. The method we have adopted avoids some of the difficulties which would arise if we attempted to deal with these doctrines in our continuous exposition.
Our general sketch of the prophets teaching is naturally arranged under categories suggested by the book itself, and not according to the sections of a modern treatise on Systematic Theology. No doubt much may legitimately be extracted or deduced concerning Anthropology, Soteriology, and the like; but true proportion is as important in exposition as accurate interpretation. If we wish to understand Jeremiah, we must be content to dwell longest upon what he emphasised most, and to adopt the standpoint of time and race which was his own. Accordingly in our treatment we have followed the cycle of sin, punishment, and restoration, so familiar to students of Hebrew prophecy.
NOTE SOME CHARACTERISTIC EXPRESSIONS OF JEREMIAH
This note is added partly for convenience of reference, and partly to illustrate the repetition just mentioned as characteristic of Jeremiah. The instances are chosen from expressions occurring in chapters 21-52. The reader will find fuller lists dealing with the whole book in the “Speakers Commentary” and the “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges.” The Hebrew student is referred to the list in Drivers “Introduction,” upon which the following is partly based.
1. “Rising up early”: Jer 7:13; Jer 7:25; Jer 11:7; Jer 25:3-4; Jer 26:5; Jer 29:19; Jer 32:33; Jer 35:14-15; Jer 44:4. This phrase, familiar to us in the narratives of Genesis and in the historical books, is used here, as in 2Ch 36:15, of God addressing His people on sending the prophets.
2. “Stubbornness of heart” (A.V. imagination of heart): Jer 3:17; Jer 7:24; Jer 9:14; Jer 11:8; Jer 13:10; Jer 16:12; Jer 18:12; Jer 23:17; also found Deu 29:19 and Psa 81:15.
3. “The evil of your doings”: Jer 4:4; Jer 21:12; Jer 23:2; Jer 23:22; Jer 25:5; Jer 26:3; Jer 44:22; also Deu 28:20; 1Sa 25:3; Isa 1:16; Hos 9:15; Psa 28:4; and in slightly different form in Jer 11:18 and Zec 1:4.
“The fruit of your doings”: Jer 17:10; Jer 21:14; Jer 32:19; also found in Mic 7:13.
“Doings, your doings,” etc., are also found in Jeremiah and elsewhere.
4. “The sword, the pestilence, and the famine,” in various orders, and either as a phrase or each word ocurring in one of three successive clauses: Jer 14:12; Jer 15:2; Jer 21:7; Jer 21:9; Jer 24:10; Jer 27:8; Jer 27:13; Jer 29:17-18; Jer 32:24; Jer 32:36; Jer 34:17; Jer 38:2; Jer 42:17; Jer 42:22; Jer 44:13.
“The sword and the famime,” with similar variations: Jer 5:12; Jer 11:22; Jer 14:13; Jer 14:15-16; Jer 14:18; Jer 16:4; Jer 18:21; Jer 42:16; Jer 44:12; Jer 44:18; Jer 44:27. Cf. similar lists, etc., “death . . . sword . . . captivity,” in Jer 43:11 : “war . . . evil . . . pestilence,” Jer 28:8.
5. “Kings . . . princes . . . priests . . . prophets,” in various orders and combinations: Jer 2:26; Jer 4:9; Jer 8:1; Jer 13:13; Jer 24:8; Jer 32:32.
Cf. “Prophet . . . priest . . . people,” Jer 23:33-34. “Prophets . . . diviners . . . dreamers . . . enchanters . . . sorcerers,” Jer 27:9.