Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 32:24
Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest [it].
24. the mounts ] See on ch. Jer 6:6.
are come unto the city ] The enemy have pushed them forward so that they already reach to the walls.
is given ] The thing is virtually done, there being a complete blockade, and no hope of rescue for the starving population within.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The mounts – See Jer 6:6 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. Behold the mounts] The huge terraces raised up to plant their engines on, that they might throw darts, stones, c., into the city.
Because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence] The city was now reduced to extreme necessity and from the siege continuing nearly a year longer, we may conclude that the besieged made a noble defense.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mounts; the word signifies ramparts, or rather battering rams, engines of war, which those nations used to batter walls, or to shoot great stones into places besieged.
They are come unto the city to take it; they are already besieging Jerusalem, and have been for some time; and the city is even ready to be taken, and cannot hold out; so many daily are killed, either with the sword of the enemy, or by famine for want of provision, or by the pestilence;
and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; thou art just and righteous in all this, and hast done but according to what thou threatenedst to do to a sinful people that would not obey thy voice.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. mountsmounds of earthraised as breastworks by the besieging army, behind which theyemployed their engines, and which they gradually pushed forward tothe walls of the city.
behold, thou seestitconnected with Jer 32:25.Thou seest all this with Thine own eyes, and yet (what seemsinconsistent with it) Thou commandest me to buy a field.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, the mounts, they are come unto the city, to take it,…. These were ramparts or batteries, that were erected against the city, the more easily to annoy it: some take them to be engines from which they cast out stones; and others suppose them to be battering rams, used to break down the walls of the city; be they what they will, they were now brought near the city to make way for the Chaldeans to enter into it, and take it:
and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans that fight against it; not only it the purpose of God that if should be, but it was plain case that he had withdrawn his protection from it, and that the city was indefensible; and that, humanly speaking, it was impossible it should hold out long, for the reasons following:
because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: the sword of the Chaldeans, without, destroyed those that sallied out upon them, or endeavoured to make their escape; and the famine and pestilence, within, made such ravages, and so much weakened them, that they would never be able to stand it out against the enemy long, but must surrender:
and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; what was foretold by the prophets, and by himself, was now fulfilling:
and, behold, thou seest [it]; and therefore he had no need to observe it to him, or dwell any longer on this subject; only he hints what follows, as having some difficulty in it on his own account.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here then at length the Prophet discovers his own perplexity. We have already stated the reason why he made so long an introduction before he came to the main thing: it was necessary for him to put on as it were a bridle; for except we restrain our thoughts, we shall become petulant against God, and there will be no moderation. The Prophet then, that he might not peevishly expostulate with God, set before himself his immeasurable power, and then he added that nothing happens except through his righteous vengeance. He now however asks, how it was, that he was bidden to buy the field when the city and the whole country were delivered up into their enemies. He then mentions here this inconsistency, and confesses that his mind was embarrassed, for he could not discover why God had bidden him to buy the field, and yet had determined to drive the people into exile and to scatter them into remote lands. But we have said that the Prophet was fully persuaded of God’s truth; and hence it was that he was so willing and ready to obey; for he made no delay in buying the field; and he afterwards laid up with Baruch the writings of the purchase. But after having performed all this, he brought a complaint against God; and as the thing appeared unreasonable, he desired this knot to be untied.
He then says, Behold the mounts, or, the warlike engines, for the word may mean either. The word סללות sallut, often means mounts; but as mention is made here of a siege, the Prophet seems to refer, as we have said in the sixth chapter, to warlike engines or battering rams. And there were engines to beat down walls; great stones or a number of stones were also cast. I am therefore inclined to the opinion of those who consider that they were either engines to shoot stones and darts, or battering rams. Behold, then, he says, there are moved to the city battering rams to take it, and the city is delivered up to the Chaldeans It was, it seems, the tenth year of Zedekiah, and at the beginning of the eleventh month the city was taken. But the Prophet is the best interpreter of his own words, and what he means may be easily gathered from the context, for he says that the city was taken by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; as though he had said, that though the enemies had not as yet entered into the city, yet it was all over with it, that there was no hope remaining, because it was not only assailed by arms and a powerful force, but it had also enemies within, which pressed hard on it, even famine and the pestilence As then a great number had already been consumed by pestilence and famine, the Prophet says, that though, the enemies should cease to assail it, and make no forcible entrance into it, yet it was all over with it, because the pestilence and famine had so prevailed, that there was no hope of deliverance. By these words he intimates an extremity of despair; and hence also arose the thought which tormented the mind of the Prophet, that it appeared wholly unreasonable that God should bid him to buy the field when the city had been already delivered up into the power of enemies.
He adds, and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it He confirms what he had just said, even that the destruction of the city did not otherwise happen than through God’s judgment. And he confirms it, because whatever then happened, had already been testified during the time of the Prophet himself. And it hence appeared, that the city was not distressed through chance, because God had foretold nothing by his servants but what he had decreed and resolved to do. Then the ruin of Jerusalem was the work of God, of which he had foretold by his servants. For these two things ought to be joined together — the mouth of God and the hand of God. Nor is it lawful to imagine such a thing as some fanatics do, that God sees from heaven whatever is done on earth, and yet continues in an idle state. But he decrees what is right, and then when it is necessary, he testifies it by his servants the Prophets. However, the mouth of God ought not to be separated from his hand. The Prophet then shews that the destruction of the city was the righteous judgment of God, because the Prophets had previously spoken of it.
The words, thou seest it, refer to the preceding sentence, or to that which immediately follows, even because it seemed inconsistent or unreasonable that the Prophet should buy the field as God commanded, and yet that God knew that the land was possessed by enemies, and that the people were to be driven into exile. Since then God had resolved to cast out the people from the land, how was it that he had bidden his servant to buy the field? Had all this been unknown to God, the inconsistency would not have been so evident But when God perfectly knew that what he had so often proclaimed as to the exile by his Prophets could not be changed, what could be his purpose in bidding the field to be bought and the purchase to be confirmed by witnesses, when yet the city was delivered up to enemies? Jeremiah, after having mentioned the substance of his prayer, now adds the answer he received from God, in which is seen the fruit of his prayer, even that he had been taught what had regard to the deliverance and return of the people, in order that the faithful might entertain hope, and also that they, relying on the promise, might cheerfully bear their exile until the prefixed time came. The words are these, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(24) Behold the mounts . . .The mounts (better, mounds) are (as in Jer. 6:6, where see Note) the banks or towers of wood which formed the chief part of ancient siege operations. What the prophet had then predicted had now come to pass, and Jerusalem was now exposed to the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, which were its inevitable accompaniments. And it was at such a time as this, when the darkness was thickest, that a ray of hope for the future was given by the command to buy the field at Anathoth. And yet the command was so strange, and the hope so apparently against all probabilities, that the prophet ends his prayer by leaving the whole matter in the hands of Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Mounts The ramparts of the besieging army.
Is given Not merely a prophetic present, as implying God’s purpose, but rhetorical present, implying a certainty because it was as good as done.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 32:24. Behold the mounts See Isa 37:33 where the same word is used.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 32:24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest [it].
Ver. 24. Behold the mounts. ] Raised by the enemies as high as the walls, that they might fight with the besieged upon even ground.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
mounts. Erections of earth raised by the enemy to overtop the walls. Compare Jer 6:6, and Jer 33:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
mounts
Or, engines of shot.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
mounts: or, engines of shot, Jer 33:4, Eze 21:22, The mounts were huge terraces raised up to plant their engines on; and so formed as to be capable of being moved forwards towards the city. See note on 2Sa 20:15.
the city is: Jer 32:3, Jer 32:25, Jer 32:36, Jer 21:4-7, Jer 37:6-10
because: Jer 14:12-15, Jer 15:1-3, Jer 16:4, Jer 24:10, Jer 52:6, Lam 2:21, Lam 2:22, Lam 4:3-10, Eze 14:21
what: Deu 4:26, Deu 31:16, Deu 31:17, Deu 32:24, Deu 32:25, Jos 23:15, Jos 23:16, Zec 1:6, Mat 24:35
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:25 – a great famine 2Ki 25:1 – pitched Isa 9:9 – And all Jer 21:2 – for Jer 21:6 – they Jer 32:28 – Behold Jer 34:17 – to the sword Jer 52:4 – pitched Eze 7:12 – let Eze 26:8 – cast a mount Hab 1:10 – they shall deride Joh 13:7 – What
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 32:24. Mounts is rendered engines of shot (machines for hurling large stones) in the margin and the original seems to be used in that sense in some places. However, Strong defines the original, A military mound, i.e. rampart of besiegers. and Moffatt renders the word “siege-mounds. The word evidently was used in both senses since those engines would be planted on the ramparts for the purpose of battering down the wall. At the time when Jeremiah was writing this the Chaldeans (or Babylonians) were at the walls of Jerusalem and conducting a siege. That would result in the three evils, sword, famine and pestilence, explained at Jer 14:12.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
32:24 Behold the {l} mounts, they are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest [it].
(l) The word signifies anything that is cast up, as a mount or rampart, and is also used for engines of war, which were laid on a high place to shoot into a city before guns were in use.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Calamity had culminated in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian soldiers. They were about to capture the city, in fulfillment of what the Lord had warned His people about, but He was fully aware of present conditions.