Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 49:30
Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
30. dwell deep ] See on Jer 49:8, whence the expression may be borrowed. It is less suitable to the wandering tribes of Bedawin here addressed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A purpose against you – Others read against them (the wealthy nation, Jer 49:31).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 49:30-31
Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord.
Dangers to the Church
What is called Underground Jerusalem is largely the space from which the stones were taken for the building of Solomons temple. That space, according to Josephus, was afterwards honeycombed with passages, canals, and secret galleries, not for sanitary purposes, but as places of refuge for women and children in times of war. These passages were all connected with the forts and towers of the city, and were a secret means of escape when the city was besieged. When Jerusalem was surrounded by the Romans under Titus large numbers of the Jews fled for refuge to these underground hiding-places. Before the Romans knew of these hiding-places, they were often astonished, and sometimes startled, by seeing persons rising as from the ground and making their escape by the towers, when at length they entered the city, and had passed from Moriah to Mount Zion, they thought that their work of destruction was ended; but they only then learned that thousands of the Jews were living beneath the ground. It is alleged that more than a hundred battles were fought underneath the city, and that more than two thousand dead bodies were taken out of the tunnels and secret chambers of what is now called Underground Jerusalem when the prophet enjoined the inhabitants of Hazor to flee, and dwell deep, he may have had some such invisible cities of refuge in view. But even in such hiding-places they were only comparatively safe. Their enemies often sought them, and found them, and put them to death.
I. One of the dangers to which the Church is exposed in modern times is shallowness of thought. Many seem to be satisfied with as little of Christianity as possible. Shallowness of thought means want of heart, want of understanding, want of principle, moral purpose, and power. The Church can outlive pagan conspiracies, tyrannical laws, and cruel persecutions; but she cannot outlive thoughtlessness. Dwell deep may be regarded as synonymous with Solomons injunction, With all thy getting, get understanding. It means that we should get beneath the surface and find out the true meaning of things. We are to know things not as they may have been perverted, or as they seem, but as they are who that is wise would estimate the value of a chronometer by its cases, or of a picture by its frame, or of a book by its binding? We would sooner expect a man to tell us all about the growth and development of a tree without reference to sunshine and showers, or the soil in which the tree was planted and in which it grew, than we should expect him to understand all about salvation without any reference to sin, or all about God without any reference to Jesus Christ. Things can only be known thoroughly and satisfactorily as they are studied in their proper connections. Take the letters of the most precious word you know, and transpose them, and they cease to convey thought to your thought. Separate the Old Testament from the New, or the first Adam, in his federal relationships, from the second Adam, and you will fail to understand one of the deepest doctrines of the Bible. But unite these as Paul does in his Epistle to the Romans, and you have the key to understand much of the great mystery of godliness.
II. Another source of danger to the Church in these days is superficiality of character. In the course of our voyage to America, some years ago, the motion of the ship was on some days very disagreeable to the passengers. She pitched and lurched and rolled Among the waves so constantly as to render it impossible for us to rest or be at peace in any position. The sea on the surface being comparatively calm, some of us wondered why the vessel was so unsteady, and on making inquiry were informed that it was owing to her light cargo. The ship had no grip of the water, and the water had no grip of her, and hence her unsteady movement. Men of superficial character are somewhat like this ship, not very steady. Superficial Christians remind you of those shopkeepers who make the most of their limited stock by putting it all or nearly all in the windows. In all substantial buildings there is much invisible mason work. The foundation of every palatial edifice is not only deep and solid, but it has been laid with a view to sustain the structure that rests upon it. It is also well known that there is a fair proportion between the roots of a tree in the ground and its height and breadth above it. It is even so with respect to human character. Those who grow up to Christ in all things cannot be strangers either to the depths from which the Psalmist cried, Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord! or to the secret place of the Most High, when the soul resides under the shadow of the Almighty.
III. Another source of danger to the Church in modem times is her apparent acquiescence in pious frauds. The greatest obstacle, says Archbishop Whately, to the following of truth is the tendency to look in the first instance to the expedient. Pious frauds, he says, fall naturally into two classes–positive and negative: the one refers to the introduction and propagation of what is false; the other refers to the toleration of it. A plant may be in a garden from two causes, either from being planted designedly or being found there and left there. In either case some degree of approbation is implied. He who propagates a delusion, and he who connives at it when already existing–both alike tamper with truth. (J. K. Campbell, D. D.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 30. Dwell deep] Retire into the depths of the desert. See on Jer 49:8.
Inhabitants of Hazor] I cannot find this place. It was no doubt in Arabia, and a place of considerable importance; but it is now no more.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The words seem to be the prophets words of advice to this people, to make all the haste they could away, and to secure themselves as well as they could, because the king of Babylon had certainly been taking counsel against them, and was resolved to disturb them. See Jer 49:8, where the like counsel is given to the Edomites.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
30. (See on Jer49:8). No conqueror would venture to follow them into the desert.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor,
saith the Lord,…. The same is said to the inhabitants of Dedan,
[See comments on Jer 49:8];
for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you: had determined upon their destruction, and had consulted and contrived ways and means to effect it; and therefore, since so powerful an enemy had such a design upon them, it was high time to flee, and get as far off as they could, and hide themselves in the caverns of the earth.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah continues here the same subject, but more clearly expresses what he had said, Flee, he says, depart far away What follows I read as a parenthesis, Deep have they made to dwell, the inhabitants of Hazor Then Jeremiah proceeds with his subject, because consulted against you has Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, etc. He then bids them to flee to a distance, because Nebuchadnezzar had resolved to destroy them. By counsel and thought or purpose, the Prophet means the secret means by which he subdued the people when they feared no such thing. As then these shepherds lived securely on their mountains, Nebuchadnezzar prepared his forces, and divided them; and thus were these taken by his counsel and craft less than by strength. What the Prophet says here of the counsel and device of Nebuchadnezzar is not superfluous, because he indirectly touched on the sloth of that nation, who exercised no vigilance and thought, their desert being a sufficient cover to them. As then they thus lived securely, the Prophet here reminds them that they would have to do with a cunning enemy, who would contrive and form his counsels at home, and then would execute in due time what he had long meditated.
But a parenthesis follows, Deep have they made; to make more clear the sense, an adversative particle must be considered as understood, Though deep have they made to dwell; for without this exception the prophecy would have been less credible. For Kedareans were on every side fortified, because no one envied them, as they were not only frugal men, but also barbarous and contented with an austere and wretched living. As then they thought themselves thus safe, some one might have raised this objection and said, “Why dost thou bid them to flee? wherefore should they flee? for there is no one so foolish as to attack them.” So also the Scythians laughed at Alexander when he attacked them. “What is your object? you think that you have to do with men; we are wild beasts: and then if you seek wealth and riches, you will not find them with us.” Such then was the state of those nations mentioned here. When, therefore, the Prophet bids them to flee, because Nebuchadnezzar would suddenly attack them, he at the same time adds, Though deep have they made to dwell (46) He had before used this mode of speaking: to make deep to dwell, means to have a safe and hidden standing, remote from all danger. They are then said to be deep in their dwellings who dwell in fortified cities, or who inhabit deserts, or who are hid in some poor country, as the Kedareans and their neighbors. But the Prophet says, that this would not prevent the Babylonians from invading their land, and taking possession of it. It follows, —
(46) This verb is deemed by most to be in the imperative mood, like the two foregoing verbs; and it is so given in the Sept., the Vulg., and the Targ. In the Syr. , all the verbs are in the past tense, which is not consistent with the context. Blayney’s version is, —
Flee ye, move off apace, Retire deep for to dwell, etc.
The meaning is, as he says, that they should go into deep caverns to hide themselves from their enemies. See Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(30) Dwell deep.See Note on Jer. 49:8. The dwellers in the villages of Hazor are told, as those of Dedan had been, to flee into the furthest recesses of the wilderness. The words probably point to the time after the battle of Carchemish, when Nebuchadnezzar established his sovereignty over the lower Euphrates, Northern Arabia, and the Syrian desert.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. Dwell deep See on Jer 49:8.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
YHWH Gives Advice To The People Of Hazor ( Jer 49:30 ).
Jer 49:30
“Flee you, wander far off,
Dwell in the depths (deep caves), O you inhabitants of Hazor,
The word of YHWH,
For Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a purpose against you.”
The call comes from YHWH for the people of Hazor to flee. This may indicate that the tribes of Hazor were to the south of the area, thus having time to flee. There may well have been a tent town of that name at a prominent oasis in the south. They were to flee, moving afar off, and dwelling in ‘the deeps’. This may indicate deep caves known to them which could provide refuge, or simply fleeing to the very depths of the desert where they alone could survive. It is the prophetic counsel of YHWH in view of Nebuchadrezzar’s intentions. For Nebuchadrezzar has gathered his war councils and they have taken a decision against them, conceiving the purpose of dealing with them once for all. Note how YHWH’s purpose has now become Nebuchadrezzar’s purpose, whilst YHWH is also seeking to advise those against whom He has set a purpose in motion so that they will not be totally destroyed, presumably because, as usual, Nebuchadrezzar was going beyond God’s purposes of chastening as the Assyrians had before him (Isa 10:5-15).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 49:30. Dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor When the Arabs have drawn upon themselves so general a resentment of the more fixed inhabitants of those countries, that they think themselves unable to stand against them, they withdraw into the depths of the great wilderness, where none can follow them with hope of success. This appears by a passage in Maillet’s Letters, (Let. 1: p. 24.) and is confirmed by other writers: D’Arvieux particularly informs us, that the Arabs will be ready to decamp in less than two hours’ warning, and, retiring immediately into the deserts, render it impossible for other nations, even the most powerful, to conquer them, they not daring to venture far into deserts where the Arabs alone know how to steer their course, so as to hit upon places of water and forage. Is it not then most probable, that the dwelling deep which Jeremiah here recommends to the Arab tribes, means this plunging far into the deserts; rather than the going into deep caves and dens, as Grotius and other commentators suppose? That way of endeavouring to avoid the fury of an enemy was indeed practised, not only before the days of our prophet, as appears from Jdg 6:2. 1Sa 13:6 but long after, as we learn from the croisade writers: but those learned men will find it extremely difficult, I believe, to produce any passages which shew, that the Arabs who live in tents, were wont to look upon this as a proper method for them to take: their way is to retire far into the deserts, not into the bowels of the earth; and so far are they from making caves their refuge, that it is observed of this nation, that when they possess cities and palaces, they never will dwell in them, looking upon such places rather as traps, than as places of defence, as in similar cases they were looked upon anciently. See Sandys’ Travels, p. 158. La Roque Voy. dans la Pal. p. 111 and 1Sa 23:7. Wherever the croisade writers speak of retiring into caves to avoid danger, it is of a people who lived a settled kind of life, not a flitting one in tents, like that of the Arabs. That the Hazor, which is here directed to get far off, and to dwell deep, was a nation that lived in tents, appears from this very passage. “Arise,” said Nebuchadrezzar to his people, when he conceived a purpose against Hazor, “Get ye up to the wealthy nation which dwelleth without care, which have neither gates nor bars; which dwell alone:” a plain description of the Bedouin way of living; and therefore this dwelling deep hardly admits of any other meaning, if we would interpret the Scriptures from eastern customs. I cannot but observe further, that the words which the prophet uses, perfectly agree with this explication; Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, &c. The caves to which the eastern people have been wont to retire are in their very towns, or in the neighbourhood of their dwelling at least, and not far off. Such was that which Asa made, chap. Jer 41:7. 9. As the same term of dwelling deep is applied to the Dedanites, Jer 49:8 it is reasonable to suppose that they also were a tribe of Arabs who lived in tents. The learned, from other considerations, have said the same thing. See Vitringa on Isa 21:13. This sense of the original word, according to which deep is used for far off, seems to be confirmed by other passages: Deeply revolting from God, Isa 31:6 signifies departing far from him. See the Observations, p. 59.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
We have here the continuation of the same or similar judgments: and all by one and the same Destroyer. It is not to be wondered at that Babylon should be so lifted up with pride, when the Lord had made Babylon the scourge of all nations!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 49:30 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.
Ver. 30. Flee, get you far off. ] See on Jer 49:8 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
conceived a purpose = devised a device. Figure of speech Polyptoton.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
get you far off: Heb. flit greatly
dwell: Jer 49:8
for: Jer 25:9, Jer 25:24, Jer 25:25, Jer 27:6, Isa 10:7
Reciprocal: Jer 49:28 – Hazor
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 49:30, Flee, get you far off is the prophet’s way of predicting that the inhabitants of the town of Hazor would wish to escape the hand of the Babylonians. This attack by Nebuchadnezzar was to be through the Lord, but the mighty ruler was to go about it according to his own counsel or advice also.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 49:30-33. Flee ye, get you far off Hebrew, ; Vulgate, Abite vehementer, Go away with eagerness, or, haste. Dwell deep, or, retire deep for to dwell: see note on Jer 49:8. Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation The prophet here gives the Chaldeans a commission from God to undertake this expedition, and seize upon the wealth of the inhabitants of Hazor; which have neither gates nor bars Who have never been attacked, and therefore live securely without walls or ramparts for their defence; which dwell alone Solitarie habitant, dwell solitarily, as Buxtorf renders . Their habitations are isolated, as some interpret it. They do not live in cities, towns, or villages, where the houses are contiguous; but each family has its mansion apart from the rest, with land about it sufficient for the subsistence of their cattle. In this dispersed state they were, of course, less provided with the means of defending themselves from the incursions of the enemy. I will scatter into all winds Into all the quarters of heaven; them, that are in the utmost corners Or, those that inhabit the insulated coast, namely, the peninsula of Arabia: see notes on Jer 9:26; Jer 25:23.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
49:30 Flee, go far off, {e} dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
(e) The enemies will dwell in your places.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh encouraged them to flee, and to hide in any recesses they could find, because Nebuchadnezzar planned to wipe them out.