Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 32:28
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:
28. thus saith the Lord ] A formula only suitable to introduce an utterance by the prophet himself is here assigned to the Divine speaker.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore thus saith the Lord, behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans,…. As he had foretold by the prophet, and was just now going to be fulfilled. Here the Lord repeats and confirms the first of the two things which seemed contradictory; the destruction of the city by the Chaldeans, who were now besieging it, and into whose hands it would certainly come:
and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; who was now before it with his army:
and he shall take it; and become master of it: or, “I will give [it to him], that he may take it” f; which he could not do, notwithstanding his powerful army, had not the Lord delivered it into his hands.
f “ut capiat eam”, Junius & Tremellius, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The import of the answer is, that though God would bring to an end the seventy years of exile, yet there was no reason for hypocrites to gather encouragement, for this promise did not belong to them. God then speaks here, in the first place, of his vengeance, in order to fill the despisers of his Law with dread, and to intimate that they were excluded from the favor of redemption, he afterwards adds, that he would at length be merciful to the exiles; but this favor is confined to the elect and faithful alone.
The two parts of the answer ought then to be noticed, for God seems here to set in opposition one to another two contrary things. But as I have said, in the former clause, he has in view the hypocrites, who applied to themselves, without faith and repentance, what the Prophet had testified of restoration. God then sets forth here his extreme severity, and then he mitigates that rigor; but he then turns his discourse to the elect, because they alone were capable of receiving his favor.
Let us now come to the words, I will deliver this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of King Nebuchadnezar, and he will take it this purpose was, that what Jeremiah himself had predicted by his command, should remain unalterable, that the city could not be delivered. For it might have disturbed the mind of the Prophet were the Jews shortly after to be delivered, and were the siege of the city to be raised: he might, in that case, have been exposed to ridicule, together with his prophecies, and rashness might have been objected to him, because he had dared to announce in God’s name what we before noticed. For this reason and purpose God declares that nothing could be changed, for the Chaldeans were to take the city; and thus he bids the Prophet to retain a quiet mind, and not to disturb himself, as though it was his intention to expose his prophecies to ridicule; for God’s sacred name would thus have been subjected to many reproaches. Had Jeremiah been proved guilty of falsehood, what would have been the consequence, but that the Jews would have insolently triumphed over God? God then declares again that the city was given over to destruction.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. Gods plan for the present (Jer. 32:28-35)
TRANSLATION
(28) Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. (29) And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and they will burn this city and put it to the torch, even the houses upon roofs of which they have offered incense to Baal and poured out libations to other gods in order to provoke Me. (30) For the children of Israel and the children of Judah from the time of their youth have been doing nothing other than evil in My sight; for the children of Israel have only been provoking Me with the works of their hands (oracle of the LORD). (31) Surely this city has aroused My wrath and anger from the day when they built it, even unto this day; so that now it must be removed from My presence, (32) because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah which they have done to provoke Methey, their king, their princes, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (33) And they turned the back to Me and not the face; though I was teaching them earnestly and persistently none of them would listen to receive correction. (34) They put abominations in the house which bears My name with the result that it was defiled. (35) They built high places of Baal which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom in order to offer their sons and their daughters to Molech (which I never commanded nor did it enter My mind to do this abomination) in order to make Judah sin.
COMMENTS
The answer of God for Jeremiah continues with a reaffirmation of the fact that Jerusalem would fall to the Chaldeans (Jer. 32:28-29) and a summation of the reasons why this calamity must take place (Jer. 32:30-35).
Throughout his ministry Jeremiah had been preaching that the enemy from the north, the Chaldeans, would destroy Jerusalem. God now assures Jeremiah that these threats had not been negated by the promise of a new day for Judah. God would indeed give Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 32:28) and the Chaldeans would put the torch to the city (Jer. 32:29). The blinded Jews thought it impossible that the chosen place of the sanctuary could be destroyed (Jer. 7:4; Jer. 21:13). They did not stop to think that with the Lord nothing was impossible. But it is not the might of the enemy which will gain the victory; God would deliver the city into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus even though the people could not comprehend or accept what God was about to do, nonetheless God would still fulfill His word.
Following the reaffirmation of His intent to destroy Jerusalem, God discusses the reasons for His decision. The basic cause of the calamity was idolatry. From the very beginning of the nation, the people had provoked God with their idolatry (Jer. 32:30). What was true of the nation as a whole was also true of Jerusalemone continuous record of idolatrous practice from the day the city was built.[286] Because of its sin Jerusalem must be removed out of the sight of God (Jer. 32:31). Idolatry permeated every strata of society including the professional priests and prophets (Jer. 32:32). Time and again God tried to teach them, instruct them, discipline them but to no avail (Jer. 32:33). The last vestige of allegiance to God disappeared when they erected abominable images in the Temple (Jer. 32:34). Yahweh thereby became just another god and His Temple just one among many shrines. The climax of the apostasy came with the erection of high places in the valley of Hinnom and the institution of the rites of child sacrifice (Jer. 32:35). Could such sin be ignored? Surely Jerusalem must fall!
[286] The Israelites did not build Jerusalem; but when David captured the city from the Jebusites alterations and additions were made. The Hebrew verb used here (banah) is frequently used in the sense of enlarging and repairing.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
28. Will give Literally, am giving.
Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed Because Of The People’s Gross Sinfulness ( Jer 32:28-35 ).
Jer 32:28
“Therefore thus says YHWH, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it,”
And it is on this basis that He intends to give the city into the hands of the Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians, or possibly in this case Nebuchadrezzar’s choice troops) and into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who will consequently take it. Note that it is because YHWH so chooses that it will happen. It will happen just as He has determined.
Jer 32:29
“And the Chaldeans, who fight against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.”
YHWH then deigns to explain why He has made this choice. It is because the flat roofs of the houses had become mini-sanctuaries to Baal and to other gods, with incense being offered there to Baal, and drink offerings poured out to other gods. It was because it had become a hive of idolatry, provoking Him to anger. That was why He had brought in the Chaldeans, in order that they might purge the city with fire. The smoke of burning buildings would replace that of incense. The next few verses will expand on YHWH’s grievances in detail.
Jer 32:30
“For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only what was evil in my sight from their youth, for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, the word of YHWH.”
He accuses the people of both Israel and Judah of having done ‘only what was evil in my sight from their youth’. The idea is not that none ever performed a good action, but that even in their good actions their motives were wrong. Their whole attitudes and trends of life had been contrary to His will. Note how ‘the children of Israel and the children of Judah’ are summarised as ‘the children of Israel’ in the one sentence. ‘The work of their hands’ includes their overall disobedience and evil activity, but may well partly have in mind the idols that they had made for themselves with their own hands. And this was the sure word of YHWH.
‘From their youth’ probably indicates that they had done it from the earliest days in the wilderness (compare Jer 2:2), although alternatively it may indicate that they had sinned grievously even before they were adults.
Jer 32:31-32
“For this city has been to me a provocation of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even to this day, that I should remove it from before my face, because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
What is more the whole city of Jerusalem had provoked Him to anger constantly from its very beginnings, both from when it was a Jebusite city, combined with suburbs built by Benjamin and Judah, and from when David and Solomon had rebuilt and extended it. (Even David had brought YHWH’s wrath on it through his behaviour with Bathsheba, and by his later arrogance and dilatoriness, combined with the misbehaviour of the people (2 Samuel 11, 24)). They had done it to so severely that it was beyond redemption to such an extent that He was now determined to remove it from before His face. Furthermore the blame was to be shared by all, for it fell on the people of both Israel and Judah, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. None were exempt from blame (compare Jer 5:1-9). All had provoked His anger.
Jer 32:33
“And they have turned to me the back, and not the face, and though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.”
Indeed they had rudely turned their backs on Him rather than looking Him in the face (i.e. had given Him perfunctory recognition while at the same time treating Him for all intents and purposes as though He was not there by worshipping idols). Compare Jer 2:27; Jer 7:24. And they had done this despite His great efforts to bring them back to Himself, and His efforts to instruct them. Once again we have the Jeremaic expression, ‘rising up early and teaching them’ signifying great effort. God had done all that He could but they had not listened.
Jer 32:34
“But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.”
And to cap it all they had even set up idols in YHWH’s own house, the house which was called by His Name, thus defiling it. Compare the similar statement in Jer 7:30. This included an alter to the hosts of heaven, and certainly an Asherah image. It also included vessels for Baal which suggest that a pillar to Baal was also set up. See 2Ki 16:10-12; 2Ki 21:5; 2Ki 21:7 ; 2Ki 23:4; 2Ki 23:6.
Jer 32:35
“And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech; which I did not command them, nor did it come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”
But even possibly worse than that was that they had committed a sin so horrible that YHWH did not even want to bring it to mind, in that they had set up high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom and had caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech. In Jer 19:5 this is described as ‘burning their sons as burnt offerings to Baal’, so that there is no doubt that child sacrifice was involved. Molech was the fiery god of the only half-civilised Ammonites, and had clearly been conjoined with Baal in this form of worship (Baal means ‘Lord’, Molech means ‘King). And not only had YHWH not commanded it, but He could not even bear to think of it.
Jer 32:28 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:
Ver. 28. Behold, I will give this city. ] As Jer 32:3 .
Behold: Jer 32:3, Jer 32:24, Jer 32:36, Jer 19:7-12, Jer 20:5
Reciprocal: Lev 20:5 – against his 2Ki 24:2 – according 2Ki 25:1 – Nebuchadnezzar Isa 29:2 – I will Jer 21:10 – it shall Jer 23:39 – and I Jer 24:8 – So will Jer 34:2 – Behold Jer 36:29 – The king Jer 39:16 – Behold Eze 12:19 – that her
Jer 32:28. The siege was in progress when this verse was spoken by the Lord but the city had not yet been taken.
He explained that He was about to turn over Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, who would burn all the places where the people had practiced idolatry, namely, throughout the city.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)