Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 29:20
Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
20. This v. is an insertion, to connect the preceding interpolation with what follows.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
20 23. The prophets in Babylonia, of whom the exiles speak in Jer 29:15, shall perish by a cruel death.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 20. Hear ye therefore the word] Dr. Blayney thinks there were two letters written by the prophet to the captives in Babylon, and that the first ends with this verse. That having heard, on the return of the embassy (Elasah and Gemariah, whom Zedekiah had sent to Babylon, and to whom the prophet entrusted the above letter, Jer 29:3,) that the captives had not received his advises favourably, because they were deceived by false prophets among them, who promised them a speedier deliverance, he therefore wrote a second letter, beginning with the fifteenth verse, and going on with the twenty-first, &c., in which he denounces God’s judgments on three of the chief of those, Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Those phrases, I have sent,
and I have driven, &c., are diligently to be observed by us. There is no evil in cities or nations which is an evil of punishment, but, whoever be the instruments to bring it, God is the author of it. These phrases also signified to those Jews that God was likeliest to know best how long they should stay there, because he sent them thither.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord,…. What he was now about to say concerning their false prophets:
all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon; all that were carried captive along with Jeconiah. Some parts of this letter are directed to one sort of the captives, and others to another sort of them; some being good men, some bad; but what follows all are called upon to observe, good and bad; it being a prediction of a certain event, which they would see fulfilled in a short time; and therefore might be of service of them; to the godly, for the confirmation of them in the belief of what the Lord had promised; and to the rest, to make them stop giving heed to false prophets, that should here after arise.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah announces a special prophecy, but in confirmation of his former doctrine. His object is still the same, to prevent the captives, as they had begun, to listen to flatteries, and to make them feel assured that they were to bear their exile till the end of seventy years. But he speaks here of three impostors; he connects two of them together, and mentions the third by himself. He directs his discourse especially to all the captives, for he deigned not to address those who professed to be God’s enemies, and sold themselves as slaves to the devil for the purpose of deceiving. It was therefore useless to spend labor on them. But he addressed the whole people, and at the same time foretold what would happen to these two false prophets, even Ahab and Zedekiah. He calls one the son of Kolaiah, and the other the son of Maaseiah; for Ahab was a name then in frequent use, and Zedekiah was a name which, on account of the memory of a pious and godly king, was in high esteem among the good. To prevent then any mistake, he mentioned their fathers.
The import of the prophecy is, that a judgment would soon overtake them, as they would be killed by King Nebuchadnezzar. They were in exile, but such madness had possessed them, that they hesitated not to provoke the wrath of that tyrant whom they knew to be cruel and bloody. Then Jeremiah declares, that as they thus deceived the people, they would soon be punished, as Nebuchadnezzar would slay them. There is yet no doubt but that Nebuchadnezzar had regard to his own private advantage; for before they were brought before him, he wished to allay every cause of tumult. As they ceased not to encourage the hope of a speedy return, without some check, it could not be otherwise but that frequent disturbances would arise. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar, as it is usual with earthly kings, consulted his own benefit. But he was in the meantime the servant of God; for those two impostors who had promised a return to the people, were to be exposed to contempt. Their death then disclosed their vanity, for it thereby appeared that they were not sent by God. It is indeed true that God’s faithful servants are often cruelly treated, nay, even slain by the ungodly. But the case was different as to these two. For they were not proved guilty of falsehood, because they happened to have unhappily prophesied, but because they raised up a standard as it were, and said, that the people would soon return to their own country; and hence it was that they were slain. We then see that what would take place was not without reason foretold by Jeremiah; for from their death it might have been concluded, that whatever they had promised respecting the return of the people, were mere fallacies; and they were slain even before the time which they had predicted. We now perceive the meaning. We shall now notice the words.
He says, Hear ye, the, whole captivity, the word of Jehovah He would have the Jews to be attentive, for if a thousand impostors had been killed, yet their faith in falsehood would never have been destroyed, had not Jeremiah prophesied before the time what would take place. He then sits here as a judge; for though Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to be killed, yet it appears evident that it was ordained by God, and indeed for this end, that the people might learn to repent. We hence see that Jeremiah was their judge; and Nebuchadnezzar afterwards executed what God by the mouth of his servant had pronounced as a judgment. This is the reason why he addressed his words to the whole people.
He yet at the same time adds, that they had been sent by God, whom I have sent, etc. and he said this, in order that they might not imagine that they went there by chance or by adverse fortune, and that they might acknowledge that when they were deprived of their own country, it was a just punishment for their sins.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
A Warning Not To Listen To The False Prophets Who Are Already Doomed Because Of Their False Prophecies And Equally False Ways ( Jer 29:20-23 ).
Jer 29:20
“Hear you therefore the word of YHWH, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
Having explained why what the prophets were declaring was hopelessly wrong, Jeremiah now calls on all who are in captivity, despatched by YHWH from Jerusalem to Babylon, to hear the word of YHWH concerning the prophets themselves.
Jer 29:21-23
“Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes, and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, YHWH make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I did not command them, and I am he who knows, and am witness, the word of YHWH.”
It would appear that the two named prophets were actively conspiring against Nebuchadrezzar along with other dissidents in Babylon, as well as seeking to arouse the exiles to join in their conspiracy. That would be why they were picked out for special attention. Their names are otherwise unknown to us, but they were clearly known to Nebuchadrezzar. (The change back to Nebuchadrezzar from Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 29:1; Jer 29:3) was because the former was how it was spelled in the letter, an incidental confirmation of the accuracy of the narrative). The fact that Jeremiah knew of them confirms that he was in close touch with what was happening among the exiles, and that regular correspondence went to and fro. Thus he was able to declare what would happen to them when he learned of their activities. YHWH would cause them to be arrested and brought before Nebuchadrezzar and sentenced to burning in a furnace, which was seemingly a regular punishment meted out by Nebuchadrezzar (Dan 3:11; Dan 3:15; Dan 3:20-21). And this would be done before the eyes of the exiles as a warning to them of what happened to those who engaged in treasonable activity.
But the wider reason for the judgment brought on them as far as YHWH was concerned was that they had not only told lies in His Name, but had also ‘wrought folly in Israel’, a phrase which regularly indicates adultery and always a gross sin worthy of death (compare Gen 34:7; Deu 22:21; Jos 7:15; Jdg 20:6). For they had committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, possibly when being officially consulted by them. As YHWH’s prophets this brought deep shame on His Name. And on top of this were the lies that they told in His Name, which He had not commanded. Thus they were doubly worthy of death, and a death so shocking that it would be used as a curse among the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the future. That this occurred we need not doubt. That is why it is recorded.
‘And I am he who knows, and am witness, the word of YHWH.’ These words are probably YHWH’s although they could be Jeremiah’s. For He is the One Who knows all things, and was therefore witness to their transgression. Either way they were a distinct reminder that YHWH knew exactly what was going on in Babylon. They should all be aware that they could not escape from His scrutiny just because they were there and not in Jerusalem.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
What an awful judgment is here denounced upon false prophets! All rebellious children shall be punished; but they who both rebel themselves, and teach others to rebel, shall have a tenfold judgment, even to become a proverb of reproach. Oh! what a lesson is here, within a short compass, to false teachers and ministers in the house of the Lord!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 29:20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Ver. 20. Hear ye, therefore. ] Or, Hear ye also; ye who have lost the fruit of your afflictions, and are little the better for your being so long in the iron furnace.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sent. Some codices, with Aramaean, read “caused to be carried captive”. Compare Jer 24:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hear: Dr. Blayney thinks there were two letters written by the prophet to the captives in Babylon, and the first ends with this verse. That having heard, on the return of the embassy, that the captives had received his advice favourably, and because they were deceived by false prophets, who promised them a speedier deliverance, he therefore wrote a second letter, beginning with the Jer 29:15, and going on with the twenty-first, etc. – in which order these verses are read in the Septuagint in which he denounces God’s judgments on the three chief of those, Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah.
all ye: Eze 3:11, Eze 3:15
whom: Jer 24:5, Mic 4:10
Reciprocal: 1Ki 22:19 – Hear thou Jer 14:15 – Sword and famine shall not Jer 22:2 – Hear Jer 29:31 – Send Eze 13:2 – Hear Mal 2:9 – before
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 29:20. The part of Jeremiah’s letter starting with this verse is again directed toward the captives in Babylon to warn them concerning the false prophets.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 29:20-23. Hear all ye of the captivity whom I have sent, &c. These phrases, I have sent, I have driven, &c., should be well observed by us. There is no evil or punishment in cities or nations, but, whoever be the instruments in bringing it on, God is the author of it. Thus saith the Lord of Ahab and of Zedekiah Of these two persons we read no more in holy writ. That they pretended to be prophets, and to reveal Gods will, although he had not called them to any such office, nor had made known his will to them, and that therefore they had abused Gods name, we learn in this verse, and that they came to a miserable end we find in Jer 29:22. He shall slay them before your eyes As persons that disturbed the minds of the Jews, his subjects, and made them unwilling to submit to his government, by giving them hopes of a speedy deliverance from under it: see Jer 29:7-8. And of them shall be taken up a curse That is, an imprecation shall be used, namely, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah, &c., or, May thou meet with punishment similar to that which these persons met with. Whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire Casting persons into the fire was a punishment used in that country, as appears from the history of Shadrach and his companions, Daniel 3. There was likewise in use a way of roasting persons by a gentle fire, to make them die by a more lingering death, such as Antiochus practised upon the seven brethren, 2Ma 7:5. The word here properly denotes this sort of punishment. Because they have committed villany in Israel, &c. The Jewish rabbins, as Grotius here observes, have a traditionary notion, that these were the two elders who attempted the chastity of Susannah; the story of which they think to be true in part, though not altogether such as it is represented in the Greek. Some translate the words, Because they HAD committed villany, or, evil in Israel, and HAD committed adultery, &c., understanding them as assigning the cause why Nebuchadnezzar had roasted these persons alive, namely, because they had committed adultery, it being a custom among some of the eastern nations, and they suppose also among the Babylonians, to punish that crime in the most severe manner.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Since the Judahites who remained in the Promised Land had not listened to God, and would therefore suffer punishment, it was important that the exiles pay attention to the Lord’s words to them.