Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 42:11
Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I [am] with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
11. of whom ye are afraid ] They may well have feared that the king’s vengeance for the murder of Gedaliah would involve innocent and guilty alike.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I know whom you are afraid of; you fear that the king of Babylon will come and utterly root you out, because one of your nation hath murdered his viceroy Gedaliah: suffer not your passion of fear to rise too high in this case, and to make you flee into Egypt; for you shall have my presence with you, to preserve and deliver you from his power, it shall not be in his power to do you any harm.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid,…. Lest he should revenge the death of Gedaliah upon them, which was a groundless fear; see Jer 41:18; or that they should be dealt hardly with by him, and be cruelly oppressed, and not able to live in subjection to him; see Jer 40:9;
be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: who, being omniscient, knew they were; and, being omnipotent, a greater King than the king of Babylon, the King of king?, they had no reason to fear anything from him, since they were under his protection:
for I [am] with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand; from his avenging and oppressing hand; though they were not to be delivered as yet from subjection to him, or being tributaries to him; which they might be, and yet dwell in peace and safety.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet obviates the doubt which might have grieved or agitated the minds of the people. They ought, indeed, to have recumbed on God’s promise alone; but it was difficult to be without doubts in a state of things so uncertain and confused; for the king of Babylon, as it has been stated, was grievously offended when the governor of the land was slain. The king had received wrong from the people, and the heat of war since the late victory had not cooled. They then justly feared, being conscious of the evil that had been done; and then they had to do with a proud and cruel enemy. God therefore removed from them this doubt; and thus he confirmed the paternal care which he had shewn towards them by kindly freeing them from every fear, and taking away every ground of terror.
Though Nebuchadnezzar had been offended, and might avenge the wrong done to him, yet God promised to prevent this, and declared that he would not suffer him to do any evil to the Jews. “Ye fear,” he says, “Nebuchadnezzar, but cease to do so; let this fear be dismissed, for he will not hurt you.” And the reason is added, Because I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand Here he bade the Jews to entertain good hope, because, while relying on his protection they would be safe: for there is no more any reason for doubting, when God declares that he will stand on our side. For if he is ours, we may be confident, as David was, when he said,
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I will not fear what man may do to me; for thou, God,” he says, “art with me;”
and also,
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I will not fear though hosts surrounded me oft every side.” (Psa 23:4; Psa 27:3)
We ought then to feel wholly assured, that the help of God is above that of all creatures. Thus were the whole world to rise up against us, we might as from a secure and safe place look down with indifference on all attempts, forces, and preparations. This is then the sum of what is here said; and it is according to what Christ says,
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My Father, who has given you to me, is greater than all.” (Joh 10:29)
Had there then been a grain of faith in the Jews, they would have laid hold on this promise; and then had they tenaciously held it, as though it were a plank in a shipwreck, it would have led them safe to the harbor. It ought then to be sufficient to shake off all cares, to drive away all fears, and to put to flight every diffidence, when God promises to stand on our side. I am, he says, with you to save you, and he adds, to deliver you He expresses the way and manner of saving them; for they might still have objected and said, “What will be this salvation? for Nebuchadnezzar is like a furious lion; how then can we be saved, since we cannot think otherwise than that he will be enraged against us?” To this God answers, by pointing out the manner, for he would deliver them from his hand.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
11. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon For his power to harm you comes from me, and I will say to him, “Hitherto, but no farther.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I [am] with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
Ver. 11. Fear not the king of Babylon. ] See on Jer 41:18 .
For I am with you to save you.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah’s oracle.
I am with you. See the Structure, above.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
afraid: Jer 27:12, Jer 27:17, Jer 41:18, 2Ki 25:26, Mat 10:28
for I: Jer 1:19, Jer 15:20, Deu 20:4, Jos 1:5, Jos 1:9, 2Ch 32:7, 2Ch 32:8, Psa 46:7, Psa 46:11, Isa 8:8-10, Isa 41:10, Isa 43:2, Isa 43:5, Mat 28:20, Act 18:10, Rom 8:31, 2Ti 4:17
Reciprocal: Jer 27:11 – those Eze 11:16 – as a
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 42:11. They were assured that no harm would result to them from their captor (the king of Babylon) if they would obey the word of the Lord,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 42:11-12. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon As if he had said, I know what you are afraid of; you fear lest the king of Babylon should send a force against you and utterly root you out, because one of your nation hath murdered his viceroy Gedaliah; but suffer not your passion of fear to rise too high on this account, and make you flee into Egypt. For I am with you to save you For you shall have my presence with you, to deliver and preserve you, so that Nebuchadnezzar shall have neither inclination nor power to do you any harm. I will show mercies unto you that he may have mercy, &c. We are beholden to God for all the compassion and kindness which we meet with from men; though we may receive good from their hands, it is God who inclines their hearts to do it. And cause you to return to your own land The mercy which God here promises these men is, that the king of Babylon should give them liberty to go every one to his own inheritance; for at present they were banished by their own fears from their own houses and estates, though not from their own country.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I [am] with you to save you, and to deliver you {e} from his hand.
(e) Because all king’s hearts and ways are in his hands, he can turn them and dispose them as it pleases him, and therefore they need not fear man, but only obey God, Pro 21:1 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord told them not to fear Nebuchadnezzar because He, the ultimate sovereign, would be with them to save and deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. Yahweh would have compassion on the people, and cause Nebuchadnezzar to have compassion on them and allow them to stay in their land.