Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 39:17
But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou [art] afraid.
17. the men of whom thou art afraid ] meaning perhaps the princes, who were hostile to Jeremiah and so would punish Ebed-melech for helping him out of the dungeon, or, as Jer 39:18 suggests, the victorious army, in which case cp. Jer 22:25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Of whom thou art afraid – The Chaldaeans. Ebed-melech apparently looked forward with much alarm to the b oodshed sure to take place at the storming of the city.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
But promiseth Ebed-melech he should be delivered in that evil day; and, whether he feared the Chaldeans, that he should lose his life by them when they should break up the city, or the princes, whom he had angered by complaining to the king of their hard usage of the prophet, he should come into none of their power.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. the men of whom thou art afraid(Jer 38:1; Jer 38:4-6).The courtiers and princes hostile to thee for having deliveredJeremiah shall have a danger coming so home to themselves as to haveno power to hurt. Heretofore intrepid, he was now afraid; thisprophecy was therefore the more welcome to him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord,…. As from the famine and pestilence, so from the sword of the Chaldeans, and from all the evil that shall come upon the city in the day of its destruction:
and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the man of whom thou [art] afraid; for though he was a bold and intrepid man, as appears by his charging the princes and prime ministers of state with having done evil to the prophet, and that in the presence of the king; yet at times he was not without his fears, which is the case of the best of men; and whereas he knew the courtiers owed him a grudge, for the freedom he took with their characters before the king, and for his friendship to Jeremiah, he might fear they would seek to do him a mischief, and contrive his ruin, in some way or another; but here he is assured he should not be given into their hands; or rather, as Jarchi, into the hands of the Chaldeans; for, as he believed in the Lord and his prophet, so he knew that all that was predicted would certainly come to pass; and that the city, with the king, his nobles, and the inhabitants of it, would fall into the hands of the Chaldeans; he might tremble at the righteous judgments of God, and fear that he himself would become a prey unto them; but here he is assured of the contrary.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He then adds, But I will deliver thee in that day, and thou shalt not be given up into the hand of the men whose face thou fearest Here God promises that Ebedmelech would be saved through a special privilege; and the Prophet shews that this prophecy had not been without reason announced. For though Ebedmelech had, with an intrepid mind, undertaken the cause of Jeremiah, and boldly and perseveringly fronted all reproaches, he yet was not divested of all the feelings of nature, but he had his fears, especially when he saw the cause of fear set before him. Hence the Prophet says, that he feared the face of enemies: and this might, at the same time, avail to rouse him to receive with more alacrity, the promise offered to him; for we know that the blessings of God are, in a manner, deemed of no value by us, when we do not know how necessary to us they are. The prophecies and the promises, by which God comforts us and animates us to patience, are for the most part viewed as of no worth, until God really shews to us how miserable we must be, except he thus succors us. Then the Prophet wished to remind Ebedmelech of this, when he said that he feared. Thou fearest, he says. For if Ebedmelech had no fear, he might have disregarded this prophecy as being superfluous. But being reminded of his fear and anxiety, he became more ready to receive what God promised to him.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
17. The men of whom thou art afraid The Chaldeans. But some think the courtiers and princes, against whom Ebed-melech had set himself in delivering Jeremiah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 39:17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou [art] afraid.
Ver. 17. But I will deliver thee in that day. ] From the sword, the famine, and the pestilence. “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee; only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked”; Psa 91:7-8 and that the Lord is sure, though slow, tarditatem supplicii gravitate compensans. a
And thou shalt not be delivered into the hands of those men.
a Val. Max.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah’s oracle.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will: Jer 1:19, Job 5:19-21, Psa 41:1, Psa 41:2, Psa 50:15, Psa 91:14, Psa 91:15, Dan 6:16, Mat 10:40-42, Mat 25:40, 2Ti 1:16-18
of whom: Jer 38:1, Jer 38:9, Gen 15:1, 2Sa 24:14
Reciprocal: Isa 56:3 – neither
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 39:17. In recognition of his trust in the Lord and his friendly services for Jeremiah, the eunuch was promised protection from his personal enemies.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord promised to deliver Ebed-melech from the Babylonian soldiers. They would not kill him. He had, after all, delivered Jeremiah from death at the hand of Zedekiah’s officials. This would be his reward for trusting in the Lord. The evidence of his trust was his respect and concern for Jeremiah, who proclaimed the Lord’s words.
"Jeremiah 39 presents a strong contrast between faithfulness and the lack of faith. Jeremiah and Ebed-melech represent those who are faithful to the LORD and to whom the LORD is faithful in return. Zedekiah represents faithlessness. In some respects, Zedekiah’s faithlessness is of the most troublesome sort among people of faith. His faithlessness is not rejection of the LORD but an inability to act in courage when pressures mount. Like the church at Laodicea in Rev 3:15 [which was also blind], Zedekiah was neither hot nor cold, and he paid a terrible price for his indecision." [Note: Keown, p. 231.]