Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 32:10
And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed [it], and took witnesses, and weighed [him] the money in the balances.
10. And I subscribed the deed ] The following will explain the particulars of Jeremiah’s action as given here and in the next vv. “Contracts stamped upon clay tablets have been found in Babylonia, enclosed in an envelope of clay, on the outside of which an exact duplicate of the contract was impressed (see an illustration in Maspero, The Dawn of Civilization, p. 732): if in course of time any disagreement arose, and it was suspected that the outside text had been tampered with, the envelope was broken in the presence of witnesses to see if the inside text agreed with it or not. Earthen jars containing such duplicate contracts have been excavated at Nippur (Peters, Nippur; II. 198).” Dr. ad loc. See further in Johns, Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts, and Letters, pp. 10 f.
sealed it ] not in our sense of adding a seal to a signature (“under one’s hand and seal”), but sealed up, closed securely.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Translate: And I wrote the particulars of the purchase in the deed … And I took the purchase-deed, both that which was sealed containing the oiler and the conditions, and that which was open etc. There were two indentures, of which one was called the purchase-deed, and was signed by the purchaser and the witnesses. It was then sealed, not in our sense of appending a seal in place of signatures, but to close it up. The open deed was probably an exact copy, and was that intended for common use. In case its authenticity was called in question, the sealed copy would have to be produced before the judge, the seal opened, and if its contents agreed with those of the open deed, the decision would be in the buyers favor.
By the offer is probably meant the specification. The conditions, literally, the statutes, would be the stipulations and terms of the sale, e. g. as to its restoration at the year of jubile, its price etc. The placing of the deeds in jar was of course intended to preserve them from damp during the long years of the exile.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. I subscribed the evidence] We have here all the circumstances of this legal act:
1. An offer is made of the reversion of the ground, till the jubilee, to him who would then of right come into possession.
2. The price is agreed on, and the silver weighed in the balances.
3. A contract or deed of sale is drawn up, to which both parties agreeing,
4. Witnesses are brought forward to see it signed and sealed; for the contract was both subscribed and sealed.
5. A duplicate of the deed was drawn, which was not to be sealed, but to lie open for the inspection of those concerned, in some public place where it might be safe, and always to be seen.
6. The original, which was sealed up, was put in an earthen pitcher, in order to be preserved from accidents.
7. This was delivered by the purchaser into the hands of a third party, to be preserved for the use of the purchaser, and witnesses were called to attest this delivery.
8. They subscribed the book of the purchase, perhaps a town book, or register, where such purchases were entered. Baruch was a scribe by profession; and the deeds were delivered into his hands, before witnesses, to be preserved as above.
Perhaps the law, in this case, required that the instrument should be thus lodged. But, in the present case, both the deeds, the original and the duplicate, were put into the earthen pitcher, because the city was about to be burnt; and if lodged as usual, they would be destroyed in the general conflagration. See Jer 32:14.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I went through with the purchase, setting my hand to and sealing the deed, and taking witnesses to it, as is usual.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. subscribedI wrotein the deed, “book of purchase” (Jer32:12).
weighedcoined moneywas not in early use; hence money was “weighed” (Ge23:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I subscribed the evidence,…. Or, “wrote in a book” u; the instrument or bill of sale, the deed of purchase; which described the field sold, and expressed the condition on which the purchase was made; and by subscribing it he agreed to it, and laid himself under obligation to perform it:
and sealed [it]; for the further confirmation of it:
and took witnesses; to be present at the payment of the money, and to sign the deed likewise:
and weighed [him] the money in the balances; this he did a second time; he weighed it first before Hanameel himself, and then before the witnesses; everything was done fairly, and with great exactness.
u “et scripsi in libro”, V. L. Munster, Pagninus, Montanus; “in libello”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The purchase was concluded in full legal form. “I wrote it (the necessary terms) in the letter (the usual letter of purchase), and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed out the money on the balance” (it was then and still is the custom in the East to weigh money). means here, not to append a seal instead of subscribing the name, or for attestation (cf. 1Ki 21:8; Neh 10:1; 2), but to seal up, make sure by sealing (Isa 29:11, etc.). For, from Jer 32:11, Jer 32:12, we perceive that two copies of the bill of purchase were prepared, one sealed up, and the other open; so that, in case the open one were lost, or were accidentally or designedly injured or defaced, a perfect original might still exist in the sealed-up copy. Then “Jeremiah took the bill of purchase, the sealed one,” – the specification and the conditions – “and the open one.” The words are in apposition with ‘ . The Vulgate renders stipulationes et rata ; Jerome, stipulatione rata , which he explains by stipulationibus et sponsionibus corroborata . , usually “a command, order,” is probably employed here in the general sense of “specification,” namely, the object and the price of purchase; , “statutes,” the conditions and stipulations of sale. The apposition has the meaning, “containing the agreement and the conditions.” Both copies of this bill, the prophet-before the eyes of Hanamel, his cousin ( , either in the general sense of a near relation, since the relationship has been stated exactly enough already, or has been inadvertently omitted), and before the eyes of, i.e., in the presence of “the witnesses, who wrote in the letter of purchase,” i.e., had subscribed it as witnesses in attestation of the matter, and in the eyes of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the prison, and in whose presence the transaction had been concluded – delivered up to his attendant Baruch, son of Nerijah, the son of Mahsejah, with the words, Jer 32:14: “Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these letters, this sealed-up letter of purchase and this open letter, and put them into an earthen vessel, that they may remain a long time there. Jer 32:15. For thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses, and fields, and vineyards shall still be bought in this land.” – The second utterance of the Lord (Jer 32:15) declares the reason why the letters were to be preserved in an earthen vessel, in order to protect them from damp, decay, and destruction, namely, because one could make use of them afterwards, when sale of property would still be taking place. There is also implied the intimation, that the present desolation of the land and the transportation of its inhabitants will only last during their time; and then the population of Judah will return, and enter again on the possession of their land. The purchase of the field on the part of Jeremiah had this meaning; and for the sake of this meaning it was announced to him by God, and completed before witnesses, in the presence of the Jews who happened to be in the court of the prison.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
It may now be asked, how could Hanameel, who was of the Levitical order, sell a field, for we know that fields did not belong to the Levites, and that they had tithes for their inheritance. (Num 18:21) But this is to be taken for a suburban field, for they had the suburbs, and each had a meadow: they neither ploughed nor reaped, nor was it indeed lawful for them, according to the law, to labor in agriculture, but they fed cattle and sheep: and this is proved by the smallness of the sum given; for what was the field sold for? for seven shekels and ten pieces of silver. (61) We hence see that it was not a large field, but only a meadow like a garden; for the price would have been larger, had it been some acres of land. Then the difficulty here is easily removed, for Hanameel sold to Jeremiah a small meadow, as every Levite had in the suburbs a meadow to feed his sheep or his cattle; at the same time none of them had large herds, but each had a cow or two. This, then, is what we are to understand by the field.
(61) We may render the words literally thus, “And I weighed for him the money, seven shekels and ten, the money.” The word is “silver,” but it is often taken for money. The seventeen shekels, according to Lowth, were about two pounds of our money. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) And I subscribed the evidence . . .Literally, as in the margin, I wrote in the bookthe last word being used for any kind of document, as for an indictment in Job. 31:35, and here for a deed of conveyance. The minuteness with which the transaction is recorded is every way remarkable, partly as showing that the prophet was careful that no legal formality should be lacking to give validity to the purchase; partly, as the next verse shows, because there was a secret, unattested, unsealed (and in that sense open) document, which the witnesses did not subscribe, and with the contents of which they were probably not acquainted. The sealed document was one closed up as a safeguard against fraudulent alterations (comp. Isa. 29:11). In the weighing of the money we see an indication of the old practiceprobably consequent on the practice of clipping coined moneyof dealing even with the current coin as if it were bullion, just as bankers weigh a parcel of sovereigns now before giving credit for the amount. (Comp. Gen. 23:16; Zec. 11:12.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. I subscribed the evidence, etc. The marginal reading is better, “I wrote in the book,” that is, the particulars of the transaction. Here we have, with unusual fulness, the description of an important business transaction. Written documents, witnesses, the weighing of money, and the sealing up of one of the copies of the bill of purchase for public use and permanent preservation. All this points unmistakably to a well-organized state of society. These deeds of purchase were to be put in an earthen vessel to preserve them from decay and destruction during the long years of exile. Sealed, in this passage, means “fastened together by a seal,” and not “attested by a seal,” as is the common sense in modern business documents.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 32:10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed [it], and took witnesses, and weighed [him] the money in the balances.
Ver. 10. And I subscribed the evidence. ] Heb., I wrote in the book, and sealed it. Men love to be upon sure grounds in things temporal; oh that they were as wise for their souls!
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the evidence = the deed.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I: Jer 32:12, Jer 32:44, Isa 44:5
subscribed the evidence: Heb. wrote in the book, Jos 18:9, Isa 30:8
and sealed: Deu 32:34, Job 14:17, Son 8:6, Dan 8:26, Joh 3:33, Joh 6:27, 2Co 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30, Rev 7:2, Rev 9:4
and took: Jer 32:12, Jer 32:25, Jer 32:44, Rth 4:9-11, Isa 8:1, Isa 8:2
Reciprocal: Gen 23:20 – were Rth 4:4 – before the inhabitants Jer 32:14 – Take Dan 9:15 – and hast
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 32:10-14. I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it I wrote down an account of the transaction in a book. The method it appears then in use among the Jews when any purchase was made was, that the purchaser, as well as those who sold, testified his consent by some writing signed before witnesses. I took the evidence, both that which was sealed and that which was open The open, or unsealed writing, was either a copy of the sealed one, or else a certificate of the witnesses, in whose presence the deed of purchase was signed and sealed. I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch Baruch was a scribe by profession, and it may be concluded that the attendance of such a one, skilled in the forms of law, was necessary on those occasions, both to draw up the writings and to officiate in the character of a notary public. And to his custody, as being a public officer, the custody of the title-deeds was intrusted. I charged Baruch, to put them in an earthen vessel To preserve them from fire and moisture. It was common with the ancients to put their writings into earthen vessels. Origen found at Jericho a version of the Scriptures hid in an earthen pot. That they may continue many days When hid under ground for greater security, to be produced when the land should be re-inhabited.