Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 49:28
Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.
28. Kedar ] See on ch. Jer 2:10.
kingdoms of Hazor ] Hazor elsewhere is the name of towns in Palestine, but here “is probably a collective term, derived from r, a ‘village,’ denoting Arab tribes living in fixed settlements or ‘villages,’ ” Dr., as opposed to nomadic life alluded to in Jer 49:29 (“curtains”). Cp. Isa 42:11.
children of the east ] Arabian tribes E. of Palestine.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
28 33 (= LXX. Ch. Jer 30:6-11). Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 33. This utterance, like the last, is rejected by Gi. and Co., though accepted, at any rate as containing a genuine element, by Kuenen, Erbt, and others. As elsewhere in these oracles, there have doubtless been later additions (see on 31 f.); but the reference to Dedan and Tema, tribes in the N. of Arabia, in Jer 25:23, would of itself lead us to expect a prophecy of this kind on Jeremiah’s part, a conclusion which receives support from the mention of Nebuchadrezzar in Jer 49:28 ; Jer 49:36, although this may be due to a writer’s intentional projection of himself into Jeremiah’s time.
This section may be divided into two subsections, which closely correspond in length, sense, and structure. Each consists of three verses, and the three consecutive thoughts in each are (i) a summons of the enemy to the attack, (ii) a promise of booty, (iii) an intimation that safety would be procured only by flight.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Hazor, derived from a word signifying an unwalled village, is a general appellative of those Arab tribes who were partially settled, while Kedar signifies the Bedawin, who used only tents. Some think that Hazor is another way of spelling Jetor, i. e., Ituraea, whose inhabitants, with the Kedarenes, would naturally be called the sons of the East.
Shall smite – Or, smote.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. CONCERNING KEDAR, AND CONCERNING THE KINGDOMS OF HAZOR] This is the title of another new prophecy.
Kedar was the name of one of the sons of Ishmael (Ge 25:13) who settled in Arabia, and who gave name to a powerful tribe of Arabs who used to traffic with the Tyrians in cattle. It appears from this prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar got a commission to go against and reduce them to great misery.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Kedar, Gen 25:13, was one of the sons of Ishmael, whose posterity inhabited part of Arabia Petrea. See Isa, Isa 21:13,17. We read of it Psa 120:5; Son 1:5; Eze 27:21. We read of
Hazor Jos 11:1; Jos 11:10, it was the head city to several kingdoms in Joshuas time; Jabin was king of it in the times of Deborah, Jdg 4:2. The prophet foretells that Nebuchadrezzar should also conquer these kingdoms; and saith he heard the Lord call to Nebuchadrezzar to go up against them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. Kedarson of Ishmael (Ge25:13). The Kedarenes led a wandering predatory life inArabia-Petra, as the Bedouin Arabs (2Ch 21:16;2Ch 21:17; Psa 120:5).Kedar means “blackness” (So1:5).
Hazornot the city inPalestine, but a district in Arabia-Petra. “Kingdoms”refer to the several combinations of clans, each under its own sheik.
men of the eastKedarand Hazor were east of Judea (Jdg 6:3;Job 1:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor,…. A new prophecy concerning the Arabians; for Kedar was a son of Ishmael,
Ge 25:13; whose posterity inhabited Arabia Petraea. Hazor was Petra itself, the metropolis of the country, whose king had several petty kings and kingdoms under him; for this is not the Hazor in the land of Canaan destroyed by Joshua, which had been the head of several kingdoms; and where Jabin king of Canaan afterwards reigned, Jos 11:10 Jud 4:2; though some think that some of those Hazorites in Joshua’s time made their escape, and fled into these parts, and built a city, and called it after the name of the former:
which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord: that is, “thus saith the Lord concerning”, or “unto”, or “against Kedar” p, c. as in Jer 49:1 which the king of Babylon “hath smitten”; the past for the future, common in prophetic language: or, “is about to smite” q; would do it in a very little time; for the phrase, “thus saith the Lord”, is not to be connected with what follows after, but with what goes before; though indeed the next words are the words of the Lord to the Chaldeans:
arise ye, go up to Kedar; in a hostile manner; invade that country, and possess it:
and spoil the men of the east; the Arabians, which lay east of Judea and Babylon: or, “the children of Kedem” r; the same with Kedemah, another son of Ishmael, Ge 25:15; whose posterity dwelt still more to the east; so Kimchi; though the Targum renders it “the children of the east”.
p “ad Cedar”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; “contra Kedarem”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “contra Arabian”, Schmidt. q “percussurus est”, Junius & Tremellius, Grotius. r “filios Chedem”, Montanus, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Concerning Kedar and the Kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon smote.” (The Kethib is perhaps merely an error in transcription occasioned by the occurrence of the preceding ). Kedar, the Kedarenes, a Bedouin nation descended from Ishmael, dwelling in tents throughout the region between Arabia Petraea and Babylonia (see on Gen 25:13 and Eze 27:21), is here, no doubt, a general name for all the nomadic tribes and shepherd nations of Arabia. Hazor elsewhere occurs only as the name of various cities in Palestine (Jos 11:1; Jos 15:23, Jos 15:25; Jos 19:23; Nah. 11:33), of which we need not think here, since it is Arabians who are spoken of. No locality or region of this name in Arabia is known. Jeremiah appears to have formed the name for the purpose of designating those Arabians who dwelt in , “courts” or “villages,” and who thus differed from the Bedouins proper, or nomads and dwellers in tents; cf. Isa 42:11 with Gen 25:16. The settled Arabians are to this day called Hadarijeh , in contrast with Wabarijeh , who dwell in tents. “ Hadar , , is the settled dwelling-place, in contrast with bedu , the steppe, where the tents are pitched, sometimes here, sometimes there, and only for a time” (Delitzsch on Isa 42:11). “The kingdoms of Hazor” are the regions of the settled tribes, ruled by their own princes or sheiks; cf. Jer 25:24.
(Note: According to Mrc. v. Niebuhr, Gesch. Ass. u. Bab. p. 210, “Hazor is the modern Hajar, a region which occupies the whole north-eastern corner of the Nejed, and to which, in the wider sense, Lascha, the region on the coast, also belongs” But , from , which corresponds to Arab. htsr or hdr, is fundamentally different from Arab. hjr or hjr .)
In the prophecy, the general designation, “children of the east,” i.e., Orientals, alternates with Kedar: the former is the most common name given to the tribes living to the east of Palestine, in the wilderness: cf. Jdg 6:3; Job 1:3; Eze 25:4. Instead of this name, Josephus uses the designation “Arabians” ( Ant. Eze 25:6. 1); later, “Nabateans” or “Kedarenes” became common. Here also (Jer 49:32) is used the special designation cut (at) the corner (of the hair), which points to the custom, usual among several of these Bedouin tribes, of cropping the hair of the head and beard; see on Jer 9:25 and Jer 25:23.
Jer 49:28 “Thus saith Jahveh, Arise, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east. Jer 49:29. Their tents and their flocks shall they take: their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels shall they carry away for themselves; and they shall cry over them, Fear is on every side. Jer 49:30. Flee! wander far, dwell deep, ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jahveh; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath devised a plan against them. Jer 49:31. Arise! go up against a nation at ease, dwelling carelessly, saith Jahveh; it has no gates nor bars – they dwell alone. Jer 49:32. And their camels shall be a prey, and the multitude of their herds a spoil; and I will scatter them to every wind who have cut the corner [of their beards], and from all sides will I bring their destruction, saith Jahveh. Jer 49:33. And Hazor shall be an habitation of jackals, a desolation for ever. No man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn in it.”
This prophecy consists of two brief strophes, which begin with a summons to the army of the enemy to wage war on the Arabians ( Jer 49:28 and Jer 49:31), and then announce the execution of this order; the arrangement, moreover, is such that there is attached to the first strophe a summons to the Arabians to save themselves by flight (Jer 49:30), while the other concludes with the threat that their territory shall be destroyed (Jer 49:33).
Jer 49:28-30 is used with instead of , to signify hostile advance against a nation or city. with Qametz-Hatuph (without Metheg) is imperative; cf. Ewald, 227, i, with 251, c. The verbs and in Jer 49:29 are not jussives (Ewald, Umbreit, etc.), but imperfects, describing what takes place in consequence of the order given. Tents and flocks of sheep and goats, curtains and vessels, together with camels, form the property and wealth of the nomads. , to take away, carry off; , sibi. They call out over them, as if it were a watch-cry, “Horror around:” on this expression, see Jer 6:25. This justifies the call addressed to them, “Flee,” etc. To is added for the purpose of intensifying, and this again is further strengthened by appending : “Use every effort to flee.” as in Jer 49:8. A reason is given for the summons, in the statement that Nebuchadnezzar, as the instrument of Jahveh, has formed a plan against them; cf. Jer 49:20 and Jer 18:11. Instead of , many MSS and the ancient versions have , in conformity with the first member. In all probability, the original reading is “against them,” inasmuch as “the discourse, as in other instances, makes a transition, in the last portion, from direct address to a calmer style of speaking” (Ewald).
Jer 49:31-32 Jer 49:31 does not declare the plan of the king of Babylon; but the words, “Arise, go ye up,” etc., are once more the summons of the Lord, as is shown by the expression “saith Jahveh.” The enemy is to march against a peaceful nation, dwelling securely, that has neither doors nor bars, i.e., does not live in cities surrounded by walls with gates and bars (cf. 1Sa 23:7; Deu 3:5), whose territory, therefore, is easily conquered. They dwell alone, apart from others, without connection and intercourse with other nations, from which they could obtain help and support. , like , Job 36:2; Dan 7:8, is a Chaldaizing form; elsewhere it is written , Job 21:23, or , Job 16:12. As to living securely, cf. Jdg 18:7; Eze 38:11; on living alone, 15:17. This last is elsewhere said only of Israel, Num 23:9; Deu 33:28. Their possessions will become the spoil of the enemy; God will scatter them to every wind (cf. Eze 5:12; Eze 12:14), and bring destruction on them from every side (on , cf. 1Ki 5:4).
Jer 49:33 The dwelling-places of the settled tribes (Hazor) shall become the habitation of jackals (cf. Jer 9:10), an uninhabited desolation for ever. Jer 49:33 is in part a repetition of Jer 49:18.
With regard to the fulfilment of this prophecy, it follows from the latter part of the title that Nebuchadnezzar had smitten the Arabian tribes, i.e., defeated them, and subjected them to his sway. But we have no historical information as to the time when this took place. M. von Niebuhr ( Gesch. Assyr. u. Bab. S. 209) and Duncker ( Gesch. d. Alterth. i. S. 427) suppose that Nebuchadnezzar, after he had returned home to Babylon from Hither Asia, having heard of the death of his father, after his victory at Carchemish, and after he had ascended the throne, “as it seems,” first thought of extending his authority over the Arabians on the lower portion of the Euphrates, in North Arabia, and in the Syrian desert. This supposition may possibly be true, but cannot be raised to historic probability; moreover, it is connected, by the above-mentioned historians, with theories regarding the campaigns against Hither Asia which rest upon statements of Josephus that are very uncertain, and some of which can be proved to be incorrect. Such is the statement in Antt. x. 6. 1, that Nebuchadnezzar, after his victory at Carchemish, in pursuing the Egyptians to the borders of their country, did not touch Judea. The only notice we have, apart from Scripture, of the conquest of Arabia by Nebuchadnezzar, is that furnished by Josephus ( contra Ap. i. 19) from Berosus: (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) . But this notice is stated in such indefinite and general terms, that nothing more specific can be inferred from it regarding the time and circumstances of the conquest of Arabians.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Judgment of Kedar. | B. C. 595. |
28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. 29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side. 30 Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. 31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone. 32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the LORD. 33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
These verses foretell the desolation that Nebuchadnezzar and his forces should make among the people of Kedar (who descended from Kedar the son of Ishmael, and inhabited a part of Arabia the Stony), and of the kingdoms, the petty principalities, of Hazor, that joined to them, who perhaps were originally Canaanites, of the kingdom of Hazor, in the north of Canaan, which had Jabin for its king, but, being driven thence, settled in the deserts of Arabia and associated themselves with the Kedarenes. Concerning this people we may here observe,
I. What was their present state and posture? They dwelt in tents and had no walls, but curtains (v. 20), no fortified cities; they had neither gates nor bars, v. 31. They were shepherds, and had no treasures, but stock upon land, no money, but flocks and camels. They had no soldiers among them, for they were in no fear of invaders, no merchants, for they dwelt alone, v. 31. Those of other nations neither came among them nor traded with them; but they lived within themselves, content with the products and pleasures of their own country. This was their manner of living, very different from that of the nations that were round about them. And, 1. They were very rich; though they had not trade, no treasures, yet they are here said to be a wealthy nation (v. 31), because they had a sufficiency to answer all the occasions of human life and they were content with it. Note, Those are truly rich who have enough to supply their necessities, and know when they have enough. We need not go to the treasures of kings and provinces, or to the cash of merchants, to look for wealthy people; they may be found among shepherds that dwell in tents. 2. They were very easy: They dwelt without care. Their wealth was such as nobody envied them, or, if any did, they might come peaceably and enjoy the like; and therefore they feared nobody. Note, Those that live innocently and honestly may live very securely, though they have neither gates nor bars.
II. The design of the king of Babylon against them and the descent he make upon them: He has taken counsel against you and has conceived a purpose against you, v. 30. That proud man resolves it shall never be said that he, who had conquered so many strong cities, will leave those unconquered that dwell in tents. It was strange that that eagle should stoop to catch these flies, that so great a prince should play at such small game; but all is fish that comes to the ambitious covetous man’s net. Note, It will not always secure men from suffering wrong to be able to say that they have done no wrong; not to have given offence will not be a defence against such men as Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, how unrighteous soever he was in doing it, God was righteous in directing it. These people had lived inoffensively among their neighbours, as many do, who yet, like them, are guilty before God; and it was to punish them for their offences against him that God said (v. 28): Arise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. They will do it to gratify their own covetousness and ambition, but God orders it for the correcting of an unthankful people, and for warning to a careless world to expect trouble when they seem to be most safe. God says to the Chaldeans (v. 31): “Arise, get up to the wealthy nation that dwells without care; go and give them an alarm, that none may imagine their mountain stands so strong that it cannot be moved.“
III. The great amazement that this put them into, and the great desolation hereby made among them: They shall cry unto them; those on the borders shall send the alarm into all parts of the country, which shall be put into the utmost confusion by it; they shall cry, “Fear is on every side–We are surrounded by the enemy.” the very terror of which shall drive them all to their feet and they shall none of them have any heart to make resistance. The enemy shall proclaim fear upon them, or against them, on every side. They need not strike a stroke; they shall shout them out of their tents, v. 29. Upon the first alarm, they shall flee, get far off, and dwell deep (v. 30), as the Edomites, v. 8. And it will be found that this fear on every side is not groundless, for their calamity shall be brought from all sides thereof, v. 31. No marvel there are fears on every side when there are foes on every side. The issue will be, 1. What they have will be a prey to the Chaldeans; they shall take to themselves their curtains and vessels; though they are but plain and coarse, and they have better of their own, yet they shall take them for spite, and spoil for spoiling sake. They shall carry away their tents and their flocks, v. 29. Their camels shall be a booty to those that came for nothing else, v. 31. 2. It is not said that any of them shall be slain, for they attempt not to make any resistance and their tents and flocks are accepted as a ransom for their lives; but they shall be dislodged and dispersed; though now they dwell in the utmost corners, out of the way, and therefore they think out of the reach, of danger (by this character those people were distinguished, Jer 9:23; Jer 9:25; Jer 9:26), yet they shall be scattered thence into all winds, into all parts of the world. Note, Privacy and obscurity are not always a protection and security. Many that affect to be strangers to the world may yet by unthought-of providences be forced into it; and those that live most retired may have the same lot with those that thrust themselves forth and lie most exposed. 3. Their country shall lie uninhabited; for, lying remote and out of all high roads, and having neither cities nor lands inviting to strangers, none shall care to succeed them, so that Hazor shall be a desolation for ever, v. 33. If busy men be displaced, many strive to get into their placed, because they lived great; but here are easy quiet men displaced, and no man cared to abide where they did, because they lived meanly.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 28-33: CONCERNING KEDAR AND HAZOR
1. “Kedar” was a wealthy, nomadic, sheep-breeding tr;be of Arabs (Isa 60:7) renowned for their skill with the bow (Isa 21:17), who lived in desert villages (Isa 42:11) to the east, or southeast, of. Palestine (Isa 21:16; Jer 2:10), and were recognizable, by the way they clipped the corners of their hair, (vs. 32; comp. Jer 9:26; Jer 25:23).
2. “Hazor” refers, NOT to the celebrated city of northern Palestine, but to those Arab tribes who lived in more permanent village settlements; the word rendered “the kingdom” may be better understood as “village chiefs”.
3. The Lord commanded Nebuchadnezzar to march against these people of the East – so utterly routing them, and plundering their possessions (tents, flock, vessels, camels, cattle, etc.) as to make their dwelling-place a perpetual desolation, (vs. 29, 33).
4. Their only hope to escape the terror that will surround their village is to flee – to wander afar and hide themselves away in the uninhabited desert-land, (vs. 30).
a. By way of contrast, how wonderful is our privilege, as Christians, to flee to Christ and find our security in Him!
b. This should motivate us to lives of whole-hearted loyalty and joyful service! (1Co 6:20; 1Co 7:23; 1Co 1:9; 1Co 15:58).
5. Though living carelessly, in self-sufficient ease and seclusion; having no defenses – because they considered their very LOCATION sufficient safeguard against the liability of attack – they, nevertheless, did not escape the judgment of Jehovah, (Num 32:23; Psa 139:7-12; Heb 4:13; Ecc 12:14).
6. This prophecy was fulfilled when (according to the Babylonian Chronicle) Nebuchadnezzar marched against them in 599 B.C.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
There is here another prophecy added respecting the Kedareans, who inhabited a part of Arabia. There is elsewhere mention made of them, and it is probable that they were neighbors to the Syrians and not far from Judea; for David complained (if he was the author of that psalm) that he dwelt among the children of Kedar,
“
Woe to me, because I am compelled to dwell in Mesech and with the children of Kedar,” (Psa 120:5)
Whoever, then, composed that psalm, it is a probable conjecture that the Kedareans, though not contiguous to Judea, were not yet far distant; and we have said that they were the inhabitants of Arabia. And the Prophet adds, the children of Kedem; so some render the word, as though it were the name of a nation; and Moses tells us that Kedem was one of the sons of Ishmael. It may be that for this reason Jeremiah joined this people to the Kedareans, (Gen 25:13.) But I am, however, inclined to the opinion, that he mentions here the children of the East, that is, with respect to Judea; not that they were nigh the Persians or other oriental nations, but he only points out a land to the east of Judea.
But why God took vengeance on that people, the cause is not expressed. It may yet have been that they formerly had much injured the Israelites; God therefore having long spared them at length appeared as their severe judge. And though the reason was unknown, yet it did good to the Jews to know, that God’s hand was extended to every part of the world to execute vengeance; for they might have hence concluded that they were justly punished, because they had rebelled against God; for we know that a servant who willfully and disdainfully disobeys his master, deserves double punishment. (Luk 12:47) When the Jews then saw that these barbarians, who were like wild beasts, could not escape God’s vengeance, they might have thought within themselves how just must have been God’s judgments executed on them, who had knowingly and willfully despised him. This then was one of the benefits to be derived from this prophecy.
And then, as we have elsewhere said, this general rule ought to be borne in mind, that when changes happen in the world, it is necessary, as men’s thoughts and feelings are evanescent, that this warning should be given, that God so rules in all these changes, that chance has no place in them. For when calamities, like a deluge, spread over the whole world, then we think, as it has been stated, that such a confusion happens by chance, and without any cause. For when God afflicts some portion, the difference may lead us to some reflection, — “One part is afflicted and another escapes;” but when evils overwhelm the whole world, then, there being no difference, we think that all things are in a state of confusion, nor can we collect our thoughts so as to know, that God so takes vengeance on all, that he yet regulates his judgments, as it is right, according to his infinite and incomprehensible wisdom and justice. As then this adjustment which God makes, as to his judgments, is not evident to the mind and perception of men, it was necessary, when God was at the same time fulminating through the whole world, that the Jews should be reminded to be ever attentive to the operations of his hand. They saw themselves ruined, they saw the same thing happening to the Egyptians and to all other contiguous nations; at length Assyria was to have its turn, then Chaldea, and afterwards the Medians and Persians. As then no part was to remain untouched, who would not have thought that all things revolved, as it were, through blind and uncertain fate? God, therefore, did not, without reason, forewarn the faithful, lest they should think, that in so great vicissitudes and violent changes, all things were indiscriminately mixed together, but that they might know that God, from heaven, regulated and overruled all these confusions. This is the reason why the Prophets so particularly spoke of the calamities of all nations.
Let us come now to the Kedareans: To Kedar, he says, and the kingdoms of Hazor These kingdoms, no doubt, included a large country, for it is hardly credible that Hazor was the name of a city; for who would have said, the kingdoms of Hazor, had it been only the name of a city? It is, indeed, certain, that there was a city of this name, as it is mentioned by Joshua. But here it means a large region, contiguous to the Kedareans. And he says that all these nations had been smitten by Nebuchadnezzar, because these barbarous men were probably but little known to the Jews. It must yet be observed, that they had not been as yet smitten by Nebuchadnezzar, that is, at the time the Prophet spoke of their destruction. But Jeremiah spoke thus, in order to confirm his prophecy, as though he had said, that what many disregarded, and even treated with disdain, was at length really fulfilled. For when he threatened ruin to these remote nations, it is probable that he was derided by his own people; and hence he says, that he had not spoken in vain, but that by the event itself his vocation was proved, because these were smitten as he had predicted.
And this is the prophecy, Arise ye, ascend against Kedar, and destroy the children of the East (45) Here the Prophet speaks of the Babylonians, and in the person of God, as his herald. And we have said that God’s servants commanded and ordered what was future with supreme authority, in order to gain more reverence and honor to their words or doctrine. For prophecies were despised by ungodly men, and they insultingly said, that they were only words. Hence the servants of God, to show that their words had accomplishment connected with them, assumed the person of God. Thus they boldly commanded the greatest kings, as Jeremiah does here, Arise ye; for whom does he here address? the king of Babylon, that greatest of monarchs, and also the Assyrians as well as the Chaldeans: and he commanded them to arise and to ascend, as though he had them ready for his service, even because he did not speak except by God’s command.
And such mode of speaking ought to be especially observed, that we may learn to embrace whatever is announced in God’s name, as though the thing itself were already before our eyes, and that we may also know that the power of the whole world, is in such a way under God’s control, that all the kingdoms of the earth are ready to fulfill his word. When, therefore, God himself speaks, we ought so to regard the efficacy of his word, as though heaven and earth were ready to obey and to fulfill what he has commanded. It follows, —
(45) It is “Kedem” in the Sept., and “East” in the other versions and the Targum. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
VIII. AN ORACLE AGAINST KEDAR AND HAZOR Jer. 49:28-33
TRANSLATION
(28) Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzar smote. Rise up! Go up to Kedar! Destroy the sons of Kedar! (29) Their tents and their flocks they shall take; their curtains and their vessels and their camels they shall bear away for themselves, and they shall cry unto them: Terror on every side! (30) Flee! Wander far off! Dwell deep, O inhabitant of Hazor (oracle of the LORD); for Nebuchadnezzar has taken counsel against you, he has conceived a purpose against you. (31) Rise up! Go up unto a nation at ease, dwelling securely (oracle of the LORD) with no doors and no bars, who dwell alone. (32) And their camels shall be spoil, and the multitudes of their cattle booty, and I will scatter to every wind those who cut the corners of their beard. From every side I will bring their destruction (oracle of the LORD), (33) And Hazor shall become a habitation of jackals, an eternal desolation. A man shall not dwell there nor a son of man sojourn in it.
COMMENTS
Kedar and Hazor represent the Arabian tribes which occupied the desert regions east of Palestine. The tribe of Kedar, descended from Ishmael, is mentioned by Isaiah (Isa. 21:16-17), and Ezekiel (Eze. 27:21) as well as Jeremiah (Jer. 2:10). Several Hazors are mentioned in the Old Testament. It is not certain whether Hazor here is a city, a region, or, as seems most likely, a tribal name. The title of the oracle indicates the fulfillment of the prophecy in the words which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote (Jer. 49:28).[397] At the time this oracle was placed in its present position within the body of the oracles against the nations it had already been fulfilled and the editor of the book, Jeremiah himself or Baruch, makes note of that fact in the introductory verse.
[397] The KJV wrongly makes the verb future. The ASV is preferable.
A. Exhortation Jer. 49:28-32 a
The opening verses of this oracle contain three words of exhortation addressed to (1) the attackers (Jer. 49:28-29); (2) the Arabs (Jer. 49:30); and (3) the attackers again (Jer. 49:31-32 a.).
The oracle begins with an exhortation to the troops of Nebuchadnezzar to arise and plunder Kedar and the other Arab tribes of the eastern desert (Jer. 49:28). The Chaldeans will heed the exhortation and will confiscate the tents, flocks, beautifully ornamented tent hangings, vessels, and camels of the Arab tribes. The expression fear on every side (Jer. 49:29) is characteristic of Jeremiah.[398] Some regard the expression here as the battle cry of the invader; others regard it as descriptive of the effect that the enemy battle cry produces among the Arab tribes.
[398] See Jer. 20:3; Jer. 20:10; Jer. 46:5; Jer. 49:29.
Just as Jeremiah earlier urged the Dedanites (Jer. 49:8) to dwell deep, i.e., retreat into the impenetrable desert, so now he urges the inhabitants of Hazor to do the same. The desert dwellers of antiquity relied on the vast expanse of the desert to protect them from the scourge of war. Enemy armies would seldom dare to attempt to penetrate those wide-open spaces where the lack of food and water and the blistering heat would make a military expedition most perilous. But Nebuchadnezzar, the daring young prince of Babylon, has carefully made his plans to attack these tribes. Therefore Jeremiah urges the desert people to retreat even farther into the trackless waste.
Again the prophet turns to the attackers and urges them to launch the attack against the Arab tribes. Three facts about the Arab tribes are mentioned as incentives to the invaders. First, the Arabs are described as a nation that is at ease, that dwells without care (ASV). In other words the Arab nations have hitherto felt secure from attack and thus a Chaldean invasion would catch them off guard. Second, the Arabs have no walled cities which would involve the invaders in prolonged siege. Third, the Arabs dwell alone, i.e., they have no powerful neighbors or allies upon which they can call for aid.
B. Declaration Jer. 49:32-33
The second part of the oracle against the Arab tribes contains a divine declaration concerning the destruction and subsequent desolation of the area. The camels of the desert tribes will become spoil for the invader. Those who escape the initial onslaught will be scattered to the wind i.e., in all directions. The phrase them that are in the utmost corners (KJV) is more correctly rendered them that have the corners of their hair cut off (ASV). The Israelites were forbidden to shave or trim the beard (Lev. 19:27) and they regarded the custom of the Arabs of cutting off the hair from the edges of the beard and from the temples as something unusual. The calamity of invasion shall surround these Arab tribes (Jer. 49:32). As a result of the attack the area of Hazor will become a perpetual desolation, a habitation for jackals (not dragons as in KJV). No man will dwell in that area again (Jer. 49:33). Just when Nebuchadnezzar launched his campaign against the desert tribes cannot be determined. That he did attack and conquer Arabia is specifically attested by Berosus, the Babylonian historian, who is quoted at length in the writings of Josephus. The fact that Nebonidus, the last king of Babylon, occupied the oasis of Tema in the Arabian desert would also indicate that the prophecies of this section were fulfilled.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(28) Concerning Kedar . . .The name belonged to a tribe of the Bedouin type, descended from Ishmael (Gen. 25:13), and at this time conspicuous as supplying the markets of Tyre with sheep and goats (Eze. 27:21). In PP. 120:5 it appears as the representative of the fierce nomadic life of the Arabians. Hazor appears as the name of many cities in Palestine (Jos. 11:1; Jos. 15:23; Jos. 19:36), but the combination with Kedar points to quite a different region. The probable explanation is that Jeremiah uses the term (as a like word, hazrein, is used in Isa. 42:11 for the villages of Kedar) for the region in which the Kedar Arabs had ceased to be nomadic, and had made a permanent settlement. According to Niebuhr (Assur u. Bab., p. 210) it answers to the modern Hadschar in the angle formed by the southern course of the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf.
Spoil the men of the east.Literally, the Beni-Kedem. or children of the East. The term appears in the Old Testament history from a very early date (Gen. 29:1; Jdg. 6:3; Jdg. 6:33; Jdg. 7:12; 1Ki. 4:30; Job. 1:3), and has, as might be expected, though obviously indicating a nomadic form of life, like that of the Midianites, a somewhat wide and undefined connotation. The picture of the attack on them presents a marked contrast to that of the attack on Damascus: not palaces and treasures, but tents and flocks, the curtains or hangings of the tent, their implements (weapons, kneading troughs, and the like), their very camels, seized by the conquerors.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Concerning Kedar In chap. Jer 2:10, “Kedar” is evidently a general name for the people of the East; here the name is somewhat more definitely restricted to the nomadic peoples of Arabia.
Kingdoms of Hazor “Hazor” is kindred with hazer an unwalled village. Here the term is used to designate those Arabians who dwelt in villages. Go up to Kedar is addressed to the enemy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Nebuchadrezzar Is Called On To Fulfil YHWH’s Purpose ( Jer 49:28 a-29 ).
Jer 49:28-29
“Thus says YHWH,
Arise you, go up to Kedar,
And destroy the children of the east.
Their tents and their flocks will they take,
They will carry away their curtains for themselves ,
And all their vessels, and their camels,
And they will cry to them,
‘Terror on every side!’ ”
YHWH’s call comes to Nebuchadrezzar to arise against ‘the children of the east’. Nebuchadrezzar would not have been aware of the call. He would have seen his actions as arising out of a desire to deal with people who were a constant menace to settled people and had much wealth. It was thus a combination of self-defence and greed. But Jeremiah is revealing that it was YHWH Who was controlling events, just as God is controlling events today, in spite of the mess being made by men. He is not responsible for man’s inhumanity to man, that is a consequence of man having freewill. But He is responsible for the destiny of nations.
The picture is a vivid one of the descent of the Babylonian forces (which would include contingents from vassal nations) on the tribesfolk in order to destroy them, possibly as the only way to prevent their future depredations, and certainly in order to obtain spoils. Note the emphasis on the carrying away by the Babylonian forces of ‘their tents and their flocks’, ‘their vessels and their camels’ . It was rich booty.
‘Terror on every side’ may have been the war-cry of the Babylonian forces, as they descended on the tribes-people and sought to terrify them into submission. Or alternately it may have been the cry of the fleeing tribespeople. It is a phrase found elsewhere in Jeremiah (Jer 6:25; Jer 20:3; Jer 20:10; Jer 46:5). It may well have been a well-used war-cry which had become a stock phrase.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Judgment Coming On Kedar and Hazor At The Hands Of Nebuchadrezzar ( Jer 49:28-33 ).
In this case it is made plain who the assailants are to be, Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon. It is therefore noteworthy that Nebuchadrezzar is portrayed as operating under God’s instructions in smiting Kedar and Hazor. Kedar were eponymously descended from Ishmael (Gen 25:13; 1Ch 1:29), but the large majority of the tribes would not be direct descendants, but descended from peoples who had united themselves with Ishmael’s descendants. Descendants of Kedar, Ishmael’s son, would have joined up with other nomadic peoples to form one ‘nation’, divided up into various tribes roaming the Syro-Arabian desert. The claim by Arabs that they are direct descendants of Ishmael are as false as claims by most Jews to be direct descendants of Abraham.
The term Kedar probably meaning ‘black’ and describes nomadic tribesfolk of the Syro-Arabian desert, covering an area stretching from southern Arabia to Mesopotamia. (Some tribes were, for example, present in southern Babylonia in 8th century BC). Isaiah prophesies their downfall (Isa 21:16-17). They lived in simple encampments made up of black tents (Isa 42:11; Son 1:5; Psa 120:5), and kept large flocks (Isa 60:17), growing very wealthy. We know from external sources that they clashed with Ashurbanipal and the Assyrians in 7th century BC, and were later attacked by Nebuchadrezzar and the Babylonians in 599 BC, as described here, partly due to their activities and partly due to their wealth. They discovered that their desert wastes did not give them the immunity they hoped for. They preferred descending on peoples from the desert in order to obtain spoils, rather than peoples descending on them. An example of this is found in Judges 6 where the invaders included ‘the people of the east’ (Jdg 6:3). Hazor were a parallel group of semi-nomadic peoples in the Arabian desert (and is not to be confused with the Canaanite city of Hazor) . Their ‘cities’ and ‘villages’ were probably oasis encampments.
But as well as their depredations against His people, no doubt increased at the times of Israel/Judah’s discomfort at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians, YHWH also has in mind that these ‘people of the east’ have turned from the worship of the one true God of Ishmael, and have become idolaters, something revealed by their ‘cutting off’ of the corners of their hair.
Jer 49:28
‘Of Kedar, and of the kingships of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote.’
Once more the heading reveals the identity of those being prophesied against.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 49:28. Concerning Kedar, &c. The kingdoms whose metropolis is Hazor or Petra; so called, according to Strabo, because it is guarded by a , or rock, on all sides. See Vitringa on Isa 21:13 and Gen 25:13.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Kedar was the son of Ishmael, and as the son of the bond-woman mocked, so his posterity. All must be accounted for therefore in the day of judgment.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 49:28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.
Ver. 28. Concerning Kedar. ] These Kedarenes, the offspring of Kedar, Ishmael’s son, Gen 25:13 dwelt, or rather abode for most part, in Arabia the stony, or desert. Hagarenes they were also called, and afterward Saracens, of Sarah, their chief city, saith Stephanus; a or of Sarach, for more credit sake, as others hold. Of this people came Mohammed, that grand impostor, and the Turks, who have now gotten into their hands so great a part of the habitable world. A rude people they were in Jeremiah’s days, and uncivilised; yet because wicked, they are here doomed.
And concerning the kingdoms of Hazor.
a Lib. de Urbib.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 49:28-33
28Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the LORD,
Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the men of the east.
29They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent curtains, all their goods and their camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘Terror on every side!’
30Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor, declares the LORD;
For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31Arise, go up against a nation which is at ease,
Which lives securely, declares the LORD.
It has no gates or bars;
They dwell alone.
32Their camels will become plunder,
And their many cattle for booty,
And I will scatter to all the winds those who cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side, declares the LORD.
33Hazor will become a haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will a son of man reside in it.
Jer 49:28 Kedar This name (BDB 871) originally referred to the second son of Ishmael (cf. Gen 25:13; 1Ch 1:29). The family became a desert, nomadic clan (Bedouin) that lived in tents (cf. Jer 49:29; Psa 120:5; Son 1:5; Isa 60:7).
Joesphus (Apion I.19) quotes a Babylonian historian, Berossus, saying that Nebuchadnezzar took over the area where they lived and controlled the caravan routes (I DB, International Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 3, pp. 3-4).
the kingdoms of Hazor This does not refer to the Canaanite city that was defeated by both Joshua (cf. Jos 11:1-15) and later Deborah/Barak (cf. Judges 4-5). The Hebrew word (BDB 347) could also be understood as unwalled villages (BDB 347, cf. Gen 25:16; Isa 42:11).
This refers to Arabian desert dwellers to the east of Ammon who were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar in about 598 B.C. This event is also recorded by Josephus.
Nebuchadnezzar is commanded by YHWH to conquer.
1. rise – BDB 877, KB 1086, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. go up – BDB 748, KB 828, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. devastate – BDB 994, KB 1418, Qal IMPERATIVE
4. commands #1 and #2 are repeated in Jer 49:31
the men of the east This descriptive phrase can refer to different people groups on the eastern side of the Jordan (cf. Gen 29:1; Jdg 6:3; Jdg 6:33; Jdg 7:12; Jdg 8:10; 1Ki 4:30; Job 1:3; Isa 11:14; Jer 49:28; Eze 25:4; Eze 25:10).
Jer 49:29 Terror on every side This phrase is used several times in Jeremiah (cf. Jer 6:25; Jer 20:3; Jer 20:10; Jer 46:5; Jer 49:29; Lam 2:22). This would be similar imagery to the four winds of Jer 49:36.
Jer 49:30 This is another series of three IMPERATIVES directed to Kedar and Hazor.
1. run – BDB 630; KB 681, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. flee – BDB 626, KB 678, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. dwell in the depths – BDB 770, KB 847, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
This was common imagery; see Jer 49:8.
a plan Nebuchadnezzar’s plan is really YHWH’s plan (i.e., Jer 49:20; Jer 51:10-11; Isa 14:24). Nebuchadnezzar is His instrument of judgment, as Cyrus will later be His instrument of restoration.
Jer 49:32 who cut the corners of their hair This was a practice of several desert tribes (cf. Jer 9:26; Jer 25:23). It is uncertain if it was idolatrous (cf. Lev 19:27) or societal (i.e., a ritual or a standard of appearance).
Jer 49:33 a haunt of jackals It is possible that the references to the destruction and lack of human habitation was
1. an idiom of complete and continuing devastation (cf. Isa 34:10)
2. the presence of the demonic (i.e., cursed place, see Special Topic: The Demonic in the OT ), cf. Jer 9:11; Jer 10:22; Isa 34:11-15
The NEB, based on new archaeological finds, was the first English translation to see these animals as possibly the demonic symbols of idols.
a son of man See note at Jer 49:18.
The Forty-Eighth Prophecy of Jeremiah(see book comments for Jeremiah).
Kedar. Name of the Bedouin dwelling in tents (Jer 2:10), east of Palestine.
Hazor. Near the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf.
men = sons.
Jer 49:28-33
Jer 49:28-33
PROPHECY AGAINST KEDAR AND HAZOR
Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah: Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east. Their tents and their flocks shall they take; they shall carry away for themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Terror on every side! Flee ye, wander far off, dwell in the depths, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jehovah; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. Arise, get you up unto a nation that is at ease, that dwelleth without care, saith Jehovah; that have neither gates nor bars, that dwell alone. And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter unto all winds them that have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, saith Jehovah. And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.
Little is known of Kedar or Hazor; but from the description here it appears that the people whom God commanded Nebuchadnezzar to destroy were desert-dwellers, living carelessly. Keil suggested that these names “refer to all of the nomadic tribes and shepherd nations of Arabia.”
Joshua (Jos 11:1; Jos 15:23) and Nehemiah (Neh 11:33) both mentioned towns of the name of Hazor in Palestine; but the Hazor here is evidently Arabian.
Curtains. vessels … camels … tents … flocks … cattle …..
(Jer 49:29-32). What else was left in the desert? The devastation of these Arabian tribes would be complete and without mercy.
“This prophecy was evidently fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar’s sixth year (599-598 B.C.) when the Babylonian Chronicle relates that the king of Babylon in Syria sent out companies, and scouring the desert, they took much plunder from the Arabs, their possessions, their domestic animals, and gods. The Babylonians did the same thing again in 581 B.C.”
Them that have the corners of their hair cut off…
(Jer 49:32). This does not indicate that God is all that much disturbed about one’s style of haircut, or dress, but is doubtless a reference to this earmark of some pagan cult in rebellion against God. The mention of their gods in the above quotation indicates this probability.
AN ORACLE AGAINST KEDAR AND HAZOR Jer 49:28-33
Kedar and Hazor represent the Arabian tribes which occupied the desert regions east of Palestine. The tribe of Kedar, descended from Ishmael, is mentioned by Isaiah (Isa 21:16-17), and Ezekiel (Eze 27:21) as well as Jeremiah (Jer 2:10). Several Hazors are mentioned in the Old Testament. It is not certain whether Hazor here is a city, a region, or, as seems most likely, a tribal name. The title of the oracle indicates the fulfillment of the prophecy in the words which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote (Jer 49:28). The KJV wrongly makes the verb future. The ASV is preferable. At the time this oracle was placed in its present position within the body of the oracles against the nations it had already been fulfilled and the editor of the book, Jeremiah himself or Baruch, makes note of that fact in the introductory verse.
Exhortation Jer 49:28-32 a
The opening verses of this oracle contain three words of exhortation addressed to (1) the attackers (Jer 49:28-29); (2) the Arabs (Jer 49:30); and (3) the attackers again (Jer 49:31-32 a.).
The oracle begins with an exhortation to the troops of Nebuchadnezzar to arise and plunder Kedar and the other Arab tribes of the eastern desert (Jer 49:28). The Chaldeans will heed the exhortation and will confiscate the tents, flocks, beautifully ornamented tent hangings, vessels, and camels of the Arab tribes. The expression fear on every side (Jer 49:29) is characteristic of Jeremiah. See Jer 20:3; Jer 20:10; Jer 46:5; Jer 49:29. Some regard the expression here as the battle cry of the invader; others regard it as descriptive of the effect that the enemy battle cry produces among the Arab tribes.
Just as Jeremiah earlier urged the Dedanites (Jer 49:8) to dwell deep, i.e., retreat into the impenetrable desert, so now he urges the inhabitants of Hazor to do the same. The desert dwellers of antiquity relied on the vast expanse of the desert to protect them from the scourge of war. Enemy armies would seldom dare to attempt to penetrate those wide-open spaces where the lack of food and water and the blistering heat would make a military expedition most perilous. But Nebuchadnezzar, the daring young prince of Babylon, has carefully made his plans to attack these tribes. Therefore Jeremiah urges the desert people to retreat even farther into the trackless waste.
Again the prophet turns to the attackers and urges them to launch the attack against the Arab tribes. Three facts about the Arab tribes are mentioned as incentives to the invaders. First, the Arabs are described as a nation that is at ease, that dwells without care (ASV). In other words the Arab nations have hitherto felt secure from attack and thus a Chaldean invasion would catch them off guard. Second, the Arabs have no walled cities which would involve the invaders in prolonged siege. Third, the Arabs dwell alone, i.e., they have no powerful neighbors or allies upon which they can call for aid.
Declaration Jer 49:32-33
The second part of the oracle against the Arab tribes contains a divine declaration concerning the destruction and subsequent desolation of the area. The camels of the desert tribes will become spoil for the invader. Those who escape the initial onslaught will be scattered to the wind i.e., in all directions. The phrase them that are in the utmost corners (KJV) is more correctly rendered them that have the corners of their hair cut off (ASV). The Israelites were forbidden to shave or trim the beard (Lev 19:27) and they regarded the custom of the Arabs of cutting off the hair from the edges of the beard and from the temples as something unusual. The calamity of invasion shall surround these Arab tribes (Jer 49:32). As a result of the attack the area of Hazor will become a perpetual desolation, a habitation for jackals (not dragons as in KJV). No man will dwell in that area again (Jer 49:33). Just when Nebuchadnezzar launched his campaign against the desert tribes cannot be determined. That he did attack and conquer Arabia is specifically attested by Berosus, the Babylonian historian, who is quoted at length in the writings of Josephus. The fact that Nebonidus, the last king of Babylon, occupied the oasis of Tema in the Arabian desert would also indicate that the prophecies of this section were fulfilled.
Kedar: Jer 2:10, Gen 25:13, 1Ch 1:29, Son 1:5, Isa 21:13, Isa 21:16, Isa 21:17, Isa 42:11, Eze 27:21
Hazor: Jer 49:30, Jer 49:33
Arise: Jer 49:14, Jer 49:31, Jer 50:14-16, Isa 13:2-5
spoil: Gen 25:6, Jdg 6:3, Job 1:3, Isa 11:14
Reciprocal: Psa 120:5 – the tents Jer 25:24 – the mingled
Jer 49:28. Kedar is defined by Strong, “A son of Ishmael; also (collectively) bedawln [the Arabs] (as his descendants or representatives)/’ Hazor is identified by Strong as a city of Arabia, hence this verse is a prediction against the Arabians. They were to be attacked by the king of Babylon and overthrown.
Jer 49:28-29. Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor Kedar is well known to have been one of the sons of Ishmael, Gen 25:13, who settled in Arabia. But of Hazor we find no satisfactory account given by commentators. There is, indeed, a city called Hazor, mentioned Jos 11:10, and in other parts of Scripture: but this was in the land of Canaan; whereas the kingdoms of Hazor, here mentioned, were evidently in Arabia, in the neighbourhood, at least, of Kedar. Among the sons of Joktan, however, who were prior to the Ishmaelites in Arabia, and whose descendants are therefore looked on as the only genuine Arabs, we find one whose name was Hazar-maveth, Gen 10:26-30. And, as by Kedar all the descendants of Ishmael are probably here designed, so all the other branches of the family of Joktan may, in like manner, be included under the general name of Hazor. And perhaps the most probable reason why the Arabians are called a mingled people is, that they were thus made up of the people of different descents; some of them being sprung from Joktan, others from Ishmael, to whom must be added the sons of Abraham by Keturah, who are also said to have been settled in Kedem, or the east country, Gen 25:6, and perhaps other families besides. All these were divided into petty sovereign ties under certain chiefs or princes, which explains what is to be understood by the kingdoms of Hazor: see Blaney. Arise ye, go up to Kedar, &c. Here the prophet foretels that Nebuchadnezzar should conquer these kingdoms, and spoil the men of the East, as the Arabians are called in the Scriptures. Their tents and their flock shall they Namely, the Chaldeans; take away Their substance consisted in their cattle and their tents, from whence the country itself is called the tents of Kedar, Psa 120:5 : with these they removed from place to place for the convenience of pasture. They shall take to themselves their curtains Those elegant coverings of which their tents were made. and which were much superior to those of any other people. And they shall cry unto them Hebrew, , Let them call for, or command, that is, as Blaney renders it, Let them bring, upon them terror from every side.
Jer 49:28-33. The Arabian Tribes.Kedar (Jer 2:10) a branch of the Ishmaelites (Gen 25:13), is here used generically for Arab tribes E. of Palestine. Hazor, perhaps a collective term meaning settlements, seems to denote Arabs in village communities, as distinct from the nomadic tribes. Yahweh summons the foe (here identified with the Babylonians, though no campaign of Nebuchadrezzar against Arabs is known), and promises that they shall capture the nomads tents and camels. The village-dwellers are told to seek a refuge (dwell deep, as in Jer 49:8), and the foe is called (Jer 49:31) to attack this defenceless people, confident in their isolation, who shall be spoiled and scattered, and their villages laid waste (Jer 49:33; cf. Jer 9:11).
Jer 49:29. curtains: tent-hangings, Jer 4:20; for the cry, cf. Jer 6:25.
Jer 49:31. alone: Deu 33:28, Psalms 48 (mg.); with whole verse cf. Eze 38:11, its source.
Jer 49:32. the corners (of their hair) polled: corner-clipt, see Jer 9:26, Jer 25:23.
49:28 Concerning {c} Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and lay waste the men of the east.
(c) Meaning the Arabians, and their borders.
G. The oracle against the Arab tribes 49:28-33
As with the previous oracle, the length of this one reflects the relative importance to Judah of those cursed by God. These Arab tribes were some of the descendants of Ishmael, Isaac’s half-brother (Gen 25:12-18). Again, antagonism marked their history with Israel.
Nebuchadnezzar also defeated Kedar, a prominent Arab tribe (Jer 2:10; Gen 25:13; Isa 21:16-17; Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Eze 27:21; et al.), and the tribes around "Hazor," a place in the eastern desert (not the town in northern Galilee). The past tense in this title verse may have been added after Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion, but the oracle is a promise of future destruction. Or, this may be a Hebrew prophetic perfect, in which case the prophet spoke of the future as past because it was certain to happen. Yahweh ordered the Babylonian king to devastate these eastern Arabs (cf. Jdg 6:3).
CHAPTER XXIII
KEDAR AND HAZOR
Jer 49:28-33
“Concerning Kedar, and the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote.”- Jer 49:28
FROM an immemorial seat of human culture, an “eternal city” which antedates Rome by centuries, if not millenniums, we turn to those Arab tribes whose national life and habits were as ancient and have been as persistent as the streets of Damascus. While Damascus has almost always been in the forefront of history, the Arab tribes-except in the time of Mohammed and the early Caliphs-have seldom played a more important part than that of frontier marauders. Hence, apart from a few casual references, the only other passage in the Old Testament which deals, at any length, with Kedar is the parallel prophecy of Isaiah. And yet Kedar was the great northern tribe, which ranged the deserts between Palestine and the Euphrates, and which must have had closer relations with Judah than most Arab peoples.
“The kingdoms of Hazor” are still more unknown to history. There were several “Hazors” in Palestine, besides sundry towns whose names are also derived from Hacer, a village; and some of these are on or beyond the southern frontier of Judah, in the wilderness of the Exodus, where we might expect to find nomad Arabs. But even these latter cities can scarcely be the “Hazor” of Jeremiah, and the more northern are quite out of the question. It is generally supposed that Hazor here is either some Arabian town, or, more probably, a collective term used for the district inhabited by Arabs, who lived not in tents, but in Hacerim, or villages. This district would be in Arabia itself, and more distant from Palestine than the deserts over which Kedar roamed. Possibly Isaiahs “villages (Hacerim) that Kedar doth inhabit” were to be found in the Hazor of Jeremiah, and the same people were called Kedar and Hazor respectively according as they lived a nomad life or settled in more permanent dwellings.
The great warlike enterprises of Egypt, Assyria, and Chaldea during the last centuries of the Jewish monarchy would bring these desert horsemen into special prominence. They could either further or hinder the advance of armies marching westward from Mesopotamia, and could command their lines of communication. Kedar, and possibly Hazor too, would not be slack to use the opportunities of plunder presented by the calamities of the Palestinian states. Hence their conspicuous position in the pages of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
As the Assyrians, when their power was at its height, had chastised the aggressions of the Arabs, so now Nebuchadnezzar “smote Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor.” Even the wandering nomads and dwellers by distant oases in trackless deserts could not escape the sweeping activity of this scourge of God. Doubtless the ravages of Chaldean armies might serve to punish many sins besides the wrongs they were sent to revenge. The Bedouin always had their virtues, but the wild liberty of the desert easily degenerated into unbridled license. Judah and every state bordering on the wilderness knew by painful experience how large a measure of rapine and cruelty might coexist with primitive customs. and the Jewish prophet gives Nebuchadnezzar a Divine commission as for a holy war:-
“Arise, go up to Kedar;
Spoil the men of the east.
They (the Chaldeans) shall take away their tents and flocks;
They shall take for themselves their tent coverings,
And all their gear and their camels:
Men shall cry concerning them,
Terror on every side.”
Then the prophet turns to the more distant Hazor with words of warning:-
“Flee, get you far off, dwell in hidden recesses of the land, O inhabitants of Hazor-It is the utterance of Jehovah-
For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath counseled a counsel and purposed a purpose against you.”
But then, as if this warning were a mere taunt, he renews his address to the Chaldeans and directs their attack against Hazor:-
“Arise, go up against a nation that is at ease, that dwelleth without fear- it is the utterance of Jehovah-
Which abide alone, without gates or bars”- like the people of Laish before the Danites came, and like Sparta before the days of Epaminondas.
Possibly we are to combine these successive “utterances,” and to understand that it was alike Jehovahs will that the Chaldeans should invade and lay waste Hazor, and that the unfortunate inhabitants should escape-but escape plundered and impoverished: for
“Their camels shall become a spoil,
The multitude of their cattle a prey:
I will scatter to every wind them that have the corners of their hair polled;
I will bring their calamity upon them from all sides.
Hazor shall be a haunt of jackals, a desolation forever:
No one shall dwell there,
No soul shall sojourn therein.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary