Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 20:5
Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labors thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
All the strength – All the stores.
The labors – The gains of the citizens.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
This is but the repetition of what God bad often threatened, viz. the perfect ruin of Jerusalem, and the land of Judah.
All the strength of this city; their military men, or rather their riches.
And all the labours thereof; and all the fruit of their labours.
And all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the king of Judah; and whatsoever was valuable in their eyes, or in the eyes of the greatest persons amongst them. The Babylonians should make a spoil and a prey of them all.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. strengththat is,resources.
laboursfruits oflabor, gain, wealth.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Moreover, I will deliver all the strength of this city,…. The fortifications of it; its towers, as the Syriac version; the riches of it, as the Targum; all its magazines and stores, in which its strength lay:
and all the labours thereof; all the fruit of their labours; all their wealth and riches got by labour; all their goods in trade; all their manufactures and merchandise:
and all the precious things thereof; all their plate and jewels, the rich furniture of their houses, and whatsoever was laid up in their treasures as rare and valuable:
and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies; which they in successive reigns had been laying up in store for years together; see Isa 39:6;
which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon; make a prey of them, seize them as their property, and carry them away with them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He goes on with the same subject, but amplifies what he had said in order to confirm it. At the same time there is no doubt but that Pashur was more exasperated when he heard these grievous threatenings; but it was right thus to inflame more and more the fury of all the ungodly. Though, then, they may a hundred times raise a clamor, we must not desist from freely and boldly declaring the truth. This is the reason why the Prophet now more fully describes the future calamity of the city.
I will give up, he says, the whole strength of this city, etc. This word “strength” is sometimes taken metaphorically for riches or wealth. Then the whole strength, or substance, of this city and all its labor will I give up, etc. This second clause is still more grievous, for what had been acquired with great labor was to be given to plunder; for when any one becomes rich without labor, that is, when riches come to one by inheritance, without any trouble or toil, he is not so distressed when he happens to be deprived of his wealth; but he who has through a whole life of labor obtained what he expects would be for the support of life, this person grieves much more and becomes really distressed with anguish, when enemies come and deprive and plunder him of all he possesses. There is therefore no doubt but that “labor” is here mentioned, as in other parts of Scripture, in order to amplify the evil. He then adds, all its precious things and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I deliver into the hand of their enemies; who will carry away, not only riches, labor, and treasures, but also the men themselves, and bring them to Babylon (9) The rest to-morrow.
(9) What Calvin and our version render “strength” is rendered the same by the Sept., ἰσχὺν, — by the Vulg., “substance,” — by the Syr., “citadels,” — and by the Targ., riches. The primary meaning of the word is to be strong, or firm; and then what is strongly, or firmly secured — store, or treasure, here, and the two things which follow are explanatory of this store, — the labor, or the fruit of labor, — their garments; and precious things, — their gold, silver, and precious stones and furniture: —
5. And I will give the whole store of this city, Even all the fruit of its labor, And every precious thing in it, — Yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give, Into the hand of their enemies: And they shall plunder them and take them, And bring them into Babylon.
All the versions refer “them” in the two last lines to the people, but the Targum to the things mentioned in the preceding lines; but the former view is the right one. To render the last verb to “carry,” as in our version, is not correct; for it means to cause to come, and hence to bring; and this clearly supports the versions.
The exposition of Blayney is, that by “strength’” is meant the military, by “labor” the workmen, and by “the precious” the respectable part of society. Then he ought to have gone on and said, that by “the treasures” were meant the kings of Judah! But all this is fancy, and wholly inconsistent with the tenor of the passage. They were to “plunder” them; and if their stores were not referred to, how could this be said of what their enemies would do? And then, according to this view, the treasures of the kings were to become a spoil, and not the stores of the city. To spoil the people of their property was one of the most common threatenings of the Prophets. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) All the strength.i.e., the treasure or substance of the city.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Strength of this city Its stores and resources.
Labours thereof The fruits of labour, the great works of the city.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 20:5. Moreover, I will deliver, &c. It will, I think, tend much to illustrate this passage, and the corresponding conduct of the Babylonian monarch, related 2Ki 24:12-17 if I here cite the words of a celebrated modern historian, who describes the similar behaviour of those Barbarians, the Moguls or Tartars, who under Zingis overran and conquered Asia, to their captives, in the following manner:”The inhabitants, who had submitted to their discretion, were ordered to evacuate their houses, and to assemble in some plain adjacent to the city, where a division was made of the vanquished of three parts. The first class consisted of the soldiers of the garrison, and of the young men capable of bearing arms; and their fate was instantly decided; they were either inlisted among the Moguls, or they were massacred on the spot by the troops, who, with pointed spears and bended bows, had formed a circle round the captive multitude. The second class, composed of the young and beautiful women, of the artificers of every rank and profession, and of the more wealthy or honourable citizens, from whom a private ransom might be expected, was distributed in equal or proportionable lots. The remainder, whose life or death was alike useless to the conquerors, were permitted to return to the city; which in the meanwhile had been stripped of its valuable furniture, and a tax was imposed on those wretched inhabitants for the indulgence of breathing their native air.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 20:5 Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
Ver. 5. Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city. ] Thus Pashur prevailed nothing at all with good Jeremiah by imprisoning him, to make him give over menacing. But as Baruch wrote the roll anew that had been cut in pieces, and added unto it many like words, Jer 36:32 so doth Jeremiah here; he will not budge to die for it. This was to show the magnanimity of a prophetic spirit.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
strength = power, or might. Hebrew. hasen. Not the same word as in Jer 20:7. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), for the wealth acquired by strength.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will deliver: Jer 3:24, Jer 4:20, Jer 12:12, Jer 15:13, Jer 24:8-10, Jer 27:19-22, Jer 32:3-5, Jer 39:2, Jer 39:8, Jer 52:7-23, 2Ki 20:17, 2Ki 20:18, 2Ki 24:12-16, 2Ki 25:13-17, 2Ch 36:10, 2Ch 36:17-19, Lam 1:7, Lam 1:10, Lam 4:12, Eze 22:25, Dan 1:2
labours: The word labours is here used for the produce of labour.
Reciprocal: 2Ki 24:13 – he carried Isa 39:6 – that all Jer 32:28 – Behold Eze 24:10 – spice
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 20:5. Deliver all the strength refers to the chief citizens of the place and 2Ki 24:14-16 shows the fulfillment of the prediction. All the treasures means the moveable belongings and that was fulfilled in 2Ki 24:13,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Likewise, the enemy would take all the wealth and even the royal treasures of Jerusalem to Babylon. In other words, the enemy would plunder the temple and the royal palaces.