Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 42:7
And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
7. after ten days ] Pe. points out the importance of the v., as giving us an insight into the nature of prophecy. Jeremiah distinguishes clearly between his own opinion, which was already a decisive one, and the Divine revelation that might be made to him, and he waits till the latter comes.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7. Tahpanhes ] See on ch. Jer 2:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 22. See introd. summary to the section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
After ten days – On previous occasions Jeremiah when consulted answered at once Jer 21:3. The present delay (compare Jer 28:12) was probably granted by God in order to free the minds of the people from the panic caused by the murder of Gedaliah and their fear of Chaldaean vengeance. Jeremiah could have had no doubt that the flight into Egypt was contrary to the tenor of his former prophecies.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. After ten days] All this time he was waiting upon God; for it is evident the prophets could not prophesy when they pleased, any more than the disciples of our Lord could work miracles when they wished. The gift of prophecy and the gift of miracles were both dependent on the will of the Most High, and each of them was given only for the moment; and when the necessity was over, the influence ceased.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The word mentioned Jer 40:1; to which all that we have met with from the beginning of Jer 40 is but an historical preface.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. ten daysJeremiah did notspeak of himself, but waited God’s time and revelation, showing thereality of his inspiration. Man left to himself would have given animmediate response to the people, who were impatient of delay. Thedelay was designed to test the sincerity of their professedwillingness to obey, and that they should have full time todeliberate (De 8:2). Trueobedience bows to God’s time, as well as His way and will.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. Abarbinel thinks it was on the tenth day of the seventh month, the day of atonement, that the answer was returned; but it is clear, from the context, that it was ten days from the time the Jews applied to the prophet to inquire of the Lord for them, and he promised to do it, that this word came from the Lord to him; not that he was praying all this while, as some think; but, having spread the case before the Lord, he waited for an answer; which was deferred, that it might have the greater weight with it when it came; and that it might appear that it was not of the prophet himself, a device of his own; and chiefly this was to mortify these people, who were impatient of an answer; and whose hypocrisy the Lord knew; and whose disobedience he foresaw; and therefore did not think fit to give the answer directly, but keep them in suspense awhile.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The word of the Lord. – At the end of ten days, the reply that had been asked for came from the Lord. Hitzig and Graf think that Jeremiah had lingered ten days with the answer, in order to obtain strong and clear conviction, “matured through his own meditation, probably also in part confirmed by the arrival of further news.” This opinion is characterized by Ngelsbach as “in harmony with modern science, but unhistorical;” it should rather be called unscriptural, as resting on a denial of divine inspiration. The reason why the Lord did not make known His will to the prophet for ten days was a disciplinary one. By waiting, those who asked would get time for bethinking themselves, and for quietly considering the situation of affairs, so that they might be able, calmly and collectedly, to receive and obey the answer of God, which was far from satisfying the fears and wishes of their heart. Jer 42:8. Jeremiah called the captains and all the people together, and announced to them as follows: Jer 42:9. “Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to whom ye have sent me, that I might bring your supplication before Him: Jer 42:10. If ye will indeed abide in this land, then will I build you up and not pull down; and I will plant you, but not root out; for I repent of the evil that I have done to you. Jer 42:11. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, whom ye fear, be not afraid of him, saith Jahveh; for I am with you to save you and to deliver you out of his hand. Jer 42:12. And I will get pity for you, so that he shall take pity on you, and bring you back to your land. Jer 42:13. But if ye say, We will not remain in this land, so that ye will not obey the voice of Jahveh your God, Jer 42:14. Saying, Nay, but we will go to the land of Egypt, that we may not see war nor hear the wound of a trumpet, and we shall not hunger after bread, and we will dwell there. – Jer 42:15. Now therefore hear the word of Jahveh, ye remnant of Judah: Thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel, If ye do indeed set your face to go to Egypt, and go to sojourn there, Jer 42:16. Then shall the sword, of which ye are afraid, overtake you there, in the land of Egypt, and hunger, which ye dread, shall there follow hard after you, in Egypt, and there shall ye die. Jer 42:17. And all the men who have set their face to go to Egypt, to sojourn there, shall die by the sword, and through hunger, and from the plague; nor shall they have any one left or escaped from the evil which I will bring on them. Jer 42:18. For thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: As mine anger and my wrath were poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured out upon you when ye go to Egypt, and ye shall become an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach, and ye shall not see this place again. – Jer 42:19. Jahveh hath spoken to you, O remnant of Judah. Go not to Egypt: ye shall know for certain that I have warned you to-day. Jer 42:20. For ye err at the risk of your souls when ye sent me to Jahveh your God, saying, Pray for us to Jahveh our God, and according to all that Jahveh our God shall say to us, so tell us, and we will do it. Jer 42:21. Now I have told you to-day, and ye have not obeyed the voice of Jahveh your God, nor in anything for which He hath sent me unto you. Jer 42:22. Now, therefore, ye must surely know that ye shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place whither ye have been pleased to go to sojourn.”
The Lord’s reply extends as far as Jer 42:18; the last four verses (19-22) form an epilogue, a further address by the prophet, in which he once more specially impresses God’s resolution on the minds of the people. The answer of God consists (1) in the promise that, if they will remain in the land, the Lord is willing to build them up, and protect them from the wrath of the king of Babylon (Jer 42:9-12); and (2) the threat that, if they will go to Egypt against the advice and will of the Lord, they shall certainly perish there by the sword, famine, and pestilence (Jer 42:13-18). On the expression , see on Jer 36:7. (Jer 42:10) can only be inf. abs. of , for ; if we view it as coming from morf , we get no suitable meaning, for the thought si revertendo illuc manseritis in hc terr (C. B. Michaelis) could not be expressed by . Certainly there is no other instance of such a form as being used for ; in a verb like , however, which drops the in the inf. constr., a like omission in the inf. abs. is quite conceivable, while the supposition of some injury having been done to the text (Olshausen, Gram. 89) is less probable. On the expression, “I will build you,” etc., cf. Jer 24:6; Jer 31:4; Jer 33:7. “I repent of the evil” is an anthropopathic expression for the cancelling of a penal sentence: cf. Joe 2:14, etc. – In Jer 42:11, the repetition of the words “do not fear him” produces special emphasis.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Jeremiah’s Address to the People. | B. C. 588. |
7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. 8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; 10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 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. 12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. 13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, 14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: 15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; 16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. 18 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. 19 The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. 20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. 21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. 22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
We have here the answer which Jeremiah was sent to deliver to those who employed him to ask counsel of God.
I. It did not come immediately, not till ten days after, v. 7. They were thus long held in suspense, perhaps, to punish them for their hypocrisy or to show that Jeremiah did not speak of himself, nor what he would, for he could not speak when he would, but must wait for instructions. However, it teaches us to continue waiting upon God for direction in our way. The vision is for an appointed time, and at the end it shall speak.
II. When it did come he delivered it publicly, both to the captains and to all the people, from the meanest to those in the highest station; he delivered it fully and faithfully as he received it, as he had promised that he would keep nothing back from them. If Jeremiah had been to direct them by his own prudence, perhaps he could not have told what to advise them to, the case was so difficult; but what he has to advise is what the Lord the God of Israel saith, to whom they had sent him, and therefore they were bound in honour and duty to observe it. And this he tells them,
1. That it is the will of God that they should stay where they are, and his promise that, if they do so, it shall undoubtedly be well with them he would have them still to abide in this land, v. 10. Their brethren were forced out of it into captivity, and this was their affliction; let those therefore count it a mercy that they may stay in it and a duty to stay in it. Let those whose lot is in Canaan never quit it while they can keep it. It would have been enough to oblige them if God had only said, “I charge you upon your allegiance to abide still in the land;” but he rather persuades them to it as a friend than commands it as a prince. (1.) He expresses a very tender concern for them in their present calamitous condition: It repenteth me of the evil that I have done unto you. Though they had shown small sign of their repenting of their sins, yet God, as one grieved for the misery of Israel (Judg. x. 16), begins to repent of the judgments he had brought upon them for their sins. Not that he changed his mind, but he was very ready to change his way and to return in mercy to them. God’s time to repent himself concerning his servants is when he sees that, as here, their strength is gone, and there is none shut up or left, Deut. xxxii. 36. (2.) He answers the argument they had against abiding in this land. They feared the king of Babylon (ch. xli. 18), lest he should come and avenge the death of Gedaliah upon them, though they were no way accessory to it, nay, had witnessed against it. The surmise was foreign and unreasonable; but, if there had been any ground for it, enough is here said to remove it (v. 11): “Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, though he is a man of great might and little mercy, and a very arbitrary prince, whose will is a law, and therefore you are afraid he will upon this pretence, though without colour of reason, take advantage against you; be not afraid of him, for that fear will bring a snare: fear not him, for I am with you; and, if God be for you to save you, who can be against you to hurt you?” Thus has God provided to obviate and silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourage them in the way of their duty; there is enough in the promises to encourage them. (3.) He assures them that if they will still abide in this land they shall not only be safe from the king of Babylon, but be made happy by the King of kings: “I will build you and plant you; you shall take root again, and be the new foundation of another state, a phoenix-kingdom, rising out of the ashes of the last.” It is added (v. 12), I will show mercies unto you. Note, In all our comforts we may read God’s mercies. God will show them mercy in this, that not only the king of Babylon shall not destroy them, but he shall have mercy upon them and help to settle them. Note, Whatever kindness men do us we must attribute it to God’s kindness. He makes those whom he pities to be pitied even by those who carried them captives, Ps. xvi. 46. “The king of Babylon, having now the disposal of the country, shall cause you to return it to your own land, shall settle you again in your own habitations and put you in possession of the lands that formerly belonged to you.” Note, God has made that our duty which is really our privilege, and our obedience will be its own recompence. “Abide in this land, and it shall be your own land again and you shall continue in it. Do not quit it now that you stand so fair for the enjoyment of it again. Be no so unwise as to forsake your own mercies for lying vanities.“
2. That as they tender the favour of God and their own happiness they must by no means think of going into Egypt, not thither of all places, not to that land out of which God had delivered their fathers and which he had so often warned them not to make alliance with nor to put confidence in. Observe here, (1.) The sin they are supposed to be guilty of (and to him that knew their hearts it was more than a supposition): “You begin to say, We will not dwell in this land (v. 13); we will never think that we can be safe in it, no, not though God himself undertake our protection. We will not continue in it, no, not in obedience to the voice of the Lord our God. He may say what he please, but we will do what we please. We will go into the land of Egypt, and there will we dwell, whether God give us leave and go along with us or no,” v. 14. It is supposed that their hearts were upon it: “If you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and are obstinately resolved that you will go and sojourn there, though God oppose you in it both by his word and by his providence, then take what follows.” Now the reason they go upon in this resolution is that “in Egypt we shall see no war, nor have hunger of bread,; as we have had for a long time in this land,” v. 14. Note, It is folly to quit our place, especially to quit the holy land, because we meet with trouble in it; but greater folly to think by changing our place to escape the judgments of God, and that evil which pursues sinners in every way of disobedience, and which there is no escaping but by returning to our allegiance. (2.) The sentence passed upon them for this sin, if they will persist in it. It is pronounced in God’s name (v. 15): “Hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah, who think that because you are a remnant you must be spared of course (v. 2) and indulged in your own humour.” [1.] Did the sword and famine frighten them? Those very judgments shall pursue them into Egypt, shall overtake them, and overcome them there (Jer 42:16; Jer 42:17): “You think, because war and famine have long been raging in this land, that they are entailed upon it; whereas, if you trust in God, he can make even this land a land of peace to you; you think they are confined to it, and, if you can get clear of this land, you shall get out of the reach of them, but God will send them after you wherever you go.” Note, the evils we think to escape by sin we certainly and inevitably run ourselves upon. The men that go to Egypt in contradiction to God’s will, to escape the sword and famine, shall die in Egypt by sword and famine. We may apply it to the common calamities of human life; those that are impatient of them, and think to avoid them by changing their place, will find that they are deceived and that they do not at all better themselves. The grievances common to men will meet them wherever they go. All our removes in this world are but from one wilderness to another; still we are where we were. [2.] Did the desolations of Jerusalem frighten them? Were they willing to get as far as they could from them? They shall meet with the second part of them too in Egypt (v. 18): As my anger and fury have been poured out here upon Jerusalem, so they shall be poured out upon you in Egypt. Note, Those that have by sin made God their enemy will find him a consuming fire wherever they go. And then you shall be an execration and an astonishment. The Hebrews were of old an abomination to the Egyptians (Gen. xliii. 32), and now they shall be made more so than ever. When God’s professing people mingle with infidels, and make their court to them, they lose their dignity and make themselves a reproach.
3. That God knew their hypocrisy in their enquiries of him, and that when they asked what he would have them to do they were resolved to take their own way; and therefore the sentence which was before pronounced conditionally is made absolute. Having set before them good and evil, the blessing and the curse, in the close he makes application of what he had said. And here, (1.) He solemnly protests that he had faithfully delivered his message, v. 19. The conclusion of the whole matter is, “Go not down into Egypt; you disobey the command of God if you do, and what I have said to you will be a witness against you; for know certainly that, whether you will hear or whether you will forbear, I have plainly admonished you; you cannot now plead ignorance of the mind of God.” (2.) He charges them with base dissimulation in the application they made to him for divine direction (v. 20): “You dissembled in your hearts; you professed one thing and intended another, promising what you never meant to perform.” You have used deceit against your soul (so the margin reads it); for those that think to put a cheat upon God will prove in the end to have put a damning cheat upon themselves. (3.) He is already aware that they are determined to go contrary to the command of God; probably they discovered it in their countenance and secret mutterings already, before he had finished his discourse. However, he spoke from him who knew their hearts: “You have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God; you have not a disposition to obey it.” Thus Moses, in the close of his farewell sermon, had told them (Deu 31:27; Deu 31:29), I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck, and that you will corrupt yourselves. Admire the patience of God, that he is pleased to speak to those who, he knows, will not regard him, and deal with those who, he knows, will deal very treacherously, Isa. xlviii. 8. (4.) He therefore reads them their doom, ratifying what he had said before: Know certainly that you shall die by the sword, v. 22. God’s threatenings may be vilified, but cannot be nullified, by the unbelief of man. Famine and pestilence shall pursue these sinners; for there is no place privileged from divine arrests, nor can any malefactors go out of God’s jurisdiction. You shall die in the place whither you desire to go. Note, We know not what is good for ourselves; and that often proves afflictive, and sometimes fatal, which we are most fond of and have our hearts most set upon.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 7-12: THE WORD OF THE LORD
1. After ten days Jeremiah called the remnant together to report the Lord’s answer to the inquiry they had solemnly requested him to make in their behalf, (vs. 7-9).
a. Jeremiah makes it clear that he is not merely stating his own opinion or preference.
b. It was the voice of divine wisdom and authority that spoke to them: “Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel”, (vs. 9; comp. 2Ki 19:4; 2Ki 19:6; 2Ki 19:20; 2Ki 22:15-20).
2. If the remnant people will dwell in their own land, the Lord will, indeed, be with them for good, (vs. 10).
a. He will build them up instead of pulling them down, (comp. Jer 24:6-7; Jer 31:28; Eze 36:36).
b. He will turn from the judgment that He had threatened, (comp. Jer 18:7-8; Hos 11:8-9; Joe 2:12-13; Jon 3:10; Jon 4:1-2).
3. There is no need for them to fear the King of Babylon; Jehovah is with them and will deliver them out of his hand, (vs. 11; 2Ch 32:7-8; Psa 46:7; Rom 8:31; comp. Jer 41:17-18).
4. Not only will the Lord be merciful toward them; He will also cause the King of Babylon to show mercy (comp. Neh 1:11; Psa 106:46; Pro 16:7) – permitting them to dwell in their own land, (vs. 12).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Here Jeremiah declares what answer he received from God; and he gave it in his name to the leaders of the forces and to the whole people. The answer was, that they were to continue in the land; for this would be for their good. We shall hereafter see, that they had falsely asked counsel of God, whom they had resolved not to obey, as it has been already stated. But the Prophet shews again more clearly how perversely they acted after God had commanded them to remain quiet, and especially not to proceed to Egypt.
Now he says, that at the tenth day God answered him. He might have done so immediately, but he deferred, that the prophecy might have more weight. Had the Prophet been asked any question respecting the common rule of life, as a faithful expounder of the Law, he might have explained to them what their duty was; but as he had been asked on a special subject, he could not have immediately answered them. And God, as I have said, kept them for a time in suspense; not only that the Prophet’s answer might be made without ostentation, but also that. the people might embrace as coming from God what the Prophet would say; for his doctrine could not have been doubted, for he did not instantly bring forth what had arisen in his own head, but prayerfully waited to know what pleased God, and at length announced his commands. We now then perceive the cause of delay, why God did not immediately convey to his servant the answer required.
Let us at the same time learn from this passage, that if God does not immediately extricate us from all perplexity and doubt, we ought patiently to wait, according to the direction of Paul, who, when speaking of doctrine, admonished the faithful to remain contented until what they knew not should be revealed to them. (Phi 3:15.) Much more should we do so, when we ask counsel as to any particular thing. When God does not immediately make known to us what we ask, we ought, as I have already said, to wait with calm and resigned minds for the time and the season when it shall be made known to us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. The response of the Lord (Jer. 42:7-22)
TRANSLATION
(7) And it came to pass at the end of ten days that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. (8) And he called Johanan the son of Kareah, the officers of the forces which were with him, and all the people small and great, (9) and said unto them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom You sent me to present your petition before Him: (10) If you will continue to dwell in this land then I will build you UP; and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pluck you UP; for I am grieved concerning the calamity which I brought upon you. (11) Do not fear the king of Babylon whom you fear. Do not fear him (oracle of the LORD), for I am with you to deliver You and to save you from his hand. (12) I will extend mercies to you so he will show mercy to you and cause You to return unto your land. (13) But if you say, We will not dwell in this land, thereby disobeying the LORD your God, (14) and say, No! Surely we will go to the land of Egypt where we will see no more war nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor hunger for bread; and there we will dwell: (15) Now therefore hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you firmly set your faces to go to Egypt and you go to sojourn there, (16) then the sword which you fear shall catch up with you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine which you dread shall hang on to you in Egypt, and there you shall die! (17) And all the men who have set their faces to go to Egypt to sojourn there will die by the sword, famine and pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the calamity which I will bring against them. (18) For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As My wrath and My anger was poured out against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, thus shall My wrath be poured out against you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an imprecation, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you will never again see this place. (19) The LORD has spoken concerning the remnant of Judah, Do not go to Egypt. Be certain of this: I have testified against you this day. (20) You made a fatal mistake when you sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray on our behalf unto the LORD our God and whatever the LORD our God shall say, tell us that and we shall do it. (21) Now I have told you this day, but you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God in regard to anything for which He sent me unto you. (22) And now be certain of this: By the sword, famine, and pestilence you shall die in the place where you wish to go to sojourn!
COMMENTS
Jeremiah waited ten days before the Lord clearly made known His will to the mind of the prophet. It seems as though God was preparing the heart of His messenger both to receive and to communicate His word to the people. No doubt the people were perturbed by the delay. They knew what the divine directive had to be, so why delay. Each day they manifested their impatience and disgust. Still Jeremiah refused to speak until he was certain that the message was from God. After ten days of prayerful wrestling with God, the answer came. Jeremiah immediately called for the entire encampment to hear Gods word. The response of the Lord contains two parts: the way of peace (Jer. 42:10-12), and the way to punishment (Jer. 42:13-18). To this is added a word of exhortation by Jeremiah (Jer. 42:19-22).
a) The way of Peace (Jer. 42:10-12). The word of the Lord came as a complete shock to the assembled remnant.
It was Gods will that they remain in Judah! If they chose to remain in the land, God would build them up i.e., cause them to prosper. God was not angry with them. Quite the contrary. The Lord declares: I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you (Jer. 42:10). This is not a confession of mistake or of remorse for the disasters which He has brought upon them. Rather it means that His attitude and conduct toward His people now has changed. He is not hostile toward them any longer. Hu man reason would indicate that they flee to Egypt and place themselves under the protection of Pharaoh. To re main in the land would be an act of faith.
After the general promises of peace and prosperity, the Lord addressed Himself to the specific fears of the community. Their anxiety concerning the reaction of Nebuchadnezzar to the death of his governor were groundless. God was with them and would deliver them out of the hand of the Chaldean king (Jer. 42:11) and the king whom they feared would actually show mercy to them (Jer. 42:12).[354] How often in the life of a Christian the worst fears prove to be ungrounded.
[354] With the change of only one vowel in the Hebrew the phrase cause you to return can be read cause you to dwell. This reading is preferable in view of the circumstances here.
b) The way of punishment (Jer. 42:13-18). The people as free moral agents had a choice to make. If they chose to remain in the land they would enjoy peace and prosperity. But if they chose flight to Egypt they would experience the punishment of God. The choice was up to them. God lets man choose his destiny.
Anticipating the reaction to the people to the commandment of God to remain in the land Jeremiah undercuts the major argument of the Egypt-bound remnant. In Egypt the people imagined that they would enjoy peace and plenty. They would escape, so they thought, the ravishes of war (Jer. 42:14). Not so, said Jeremiah. The sword will follow you to Egypt and there you will experience all the horrors of war (Jer. 42:16). There you will die of the sword, famine, and pestilence (Jer. 42:17). Just as in the past the nation had experienced the judgments of God, so would the wrath of God be poured out upon the remnant if they disobeyed this command of God. They would become an object of execration and horror; they would be accursed and derided. They would never again see their homeland (Jer. 42:15).
c) The prophetic exhortation (Jer. 42:19-22). As Jeremiah delivered the word of the Lord he could see in his audience the hardened look of rejection. Earnestly he exhorts his hearers to follow the divine directive and remain in the land. This is not my personal opinion; the Lord has spoken concerning you O remnant. You surely know that I have admonished or testified against you this day (Jer. 42:19). Your guilt is all the more serious[355] in that you sent me unto the Lord to inquire concerning His will and you pledged yourselves to submit to that will (Jer. 42:20-21). This disobedience had sealed their own death warrant. Unbelief does not alter the word of God. Be absolutely sure of this one thing, says the prophet: If you persist in your manifest intentions to go to Egypt you shall die of the sword, famine, and the pestilence (Jer. 42:22).
[355] You dissembled in your hearts (KJV) i.e., you have deceived yourselves. On this translation Jeremiah is charging them with self-deception. Another translation of the phrase is possible: you have erred at the risk of your lives. On this translation Jeremiah is saying that these people have put their life in jeopardy by swearing to obey God and then rejecting His commandment.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) After ten days.The interval is significant, as indicating that the prophet would not give an answer of his own on the spur of the moment, but waited in prayer and meditation until there came into his mind that which he could utter as an oracle of God. So Ezekiel waited for seven days among the exiles that dwelt by the river of Chebar, till the word of the Lord came to him (Eze. 3:16). When the hour came, the prophet preached to a multitude whose eagerness to hear him had been intensified by the suspense.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JEREMIAH’S ANSWER, (A) SAFETY IN JUDEA, Jer 42:7-12.
7. After ten days The delay was doubtless to prepare them for the answer. The excitement of the time would in some measure have passed away, and they would have had time to consider the situation of affairs. It is good for man to wait God’s time.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah Brings To The People The Word Of YHWH ( Jer 42:7-22 ).
The break of ten days during which Jeremiah waited on YHWH brings out the importance of what is to be said. The run of cultic prophets spoke spontaneously, having stirred themselves up into ecstasy, but this was no spontaneous word from Jeremiah. He had to wait on YHWH for the genuine word of YHWH. The wait would meanwhile leave the people feeling uneasy in the light of the impending threat of Nebuchadrezzar. It suggests that God was testing their faith and giving them time to think over their situation. He knew that what He was about to command would be contrary to all their intentions.
We soon discover the reason for the waiting. YHWH’s word was that, rather than fleeing to Egypt, they were to remain in Judah under His own protection. They must trust in Him not in Egypt (compare Isa 30:1-5). He further indicated, in terms reminiscent of Jeremiah’s previous prophecies, that the judgment which Jeremiah had previously pronounced against Judah had now been reversed, and that if they remained in the land, rather than their being delivered up to Nebuchadrezzar, they would be established and would be delivered out of his hand. On the other hand if they chose to go into Egypt they would find themselves subjected to all the judgments from which they were trying to escape. The choice before them was stark. YHWH or Egypt.
The passage closes with Jeremiah, expressing his awareness in a kind of postscript that their decision has been to disobey YHWH, declaring that they will in fact prove disobedient, and will thus come under God’s renewed judgment. It was not, of course, just the seeking of refuge in Egypt that was the problem. It was that once they had done so they would start to look to other gods, something which Jer 44:15 ff. make clear is precisely what happened.
Jer 42:7
‘And it came about after ten days, that the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah.’
‘Ten days’ may simply signify ‘a period longer than seven days’. In Genesis ‘three days’ regularly indicated a short period, with ‘seven days’ indicating a relatively longer period. ‘Ten days’ may therefore have been the next stage up the scale (compare ‘ten times’ in Gen 31:41). But however that may be, the description indicated that Jeremiah had to wait some considerable period, well over a seven day period, for YHWH’s answer, something unusual in the field of prophecy (compare, however, Jer 28:11-12; Eze 3:16). It was a reminder that with the genuine prophets YHWH’s word was not just something that could be produced by religious manipulation, but was a genuine word from Him.
The impression we gain (Jer 42:2; Jer 42:4) is that Jeremiah was to spend much of the time in prayer and supplication. Then at YHWH’s discretion His word came to Jeremiah. The wait should have convinced God’s people that the word which came would be of vital importance. God was doing His best to bring home to them the importance of what He was about to say.
Jer 42:8
‘Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,’
Having received YHWH’s word Jeremiah then solemnly called together the whole leadership, together with all the people who were in the camp, from the commanders and the king’s daughters, to the lowest servants. The whole assembly of the people was to be there to hear YHWH’s command.
Jer 42:9
‘And said to them, “Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him,’
He reminded them that it was they who had sent him to ‘YHWH, the God of Israel’, in other words to ‘their God’, in order that he might pray before Him so that they might receive the true word of YHWH through him.
Jer 42:10
“If you will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up, for I repent me of the evil that I have done to you.’
The initial words are a reversal of the trend of Jeremiah’s previous prophecies against Judah (see Jer 1:10), and guarantee a fulfilment of His promises in Jer 18:7-10; Jer 31:4-5; Jer 33:7. YHWH promises to fulfil in Judah what is also promised to the exiles outside Judah (Jer 24:6), their ‘building up and planting’. It was an offer to bring about the fulfilment of the promises concerning the new covenant in Jer 31:27-34 (see especially Jer 31:28). YHWH promises them that if they will remain in the land and put their trust in Him He will ‘build them up and plant them’ because as a result of His judgments He has been able to change His mind about their situation. We should notice in this regard that YHWH’s ‘repentance’ is always as a result of changed circumstances which enable Him to view things differently. He changes His mind because the situation has changed enabling Him to act differently, not because He had previously made the wrong decision or was sorry for what He had done.
Thus if they are willing to truly obey YHWH the beginning of the reversal of the judgments of God can commence, with a future bright in the light of the promises in chapters 30-31. They will be able to enter into a new covenant with YHWH, a covenant that changes the heart, the Davidic king will take his throne, and the whole land will become prosperous. It must not be overlooked that this was a prospective turning point in salvation history. Sadly it did not come to fruition.
Jer 42:11
“Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not be afraid of him, the word of YHWH, for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.”
YHWH assures the people that if they remain in the land they need not fear Nebuchadrezzar’s revenge because on ‘the word of YHWH’ they can be sure that He, YHWH, will deliver them out of Nebuchadrezzar’s hand. And this even though they are afraid of him. So once more YHWH’s people are called on to look to Him and trust Him to be their Deliverer and Saviour, and act accordingly, with the promise that if they are obedient they will enjoy His full protection.
Jer 42:12
“And I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land.”
For as a result of YHWH granting them mercy (a word indicating a mother’s tender care and compassion), they can be sure that Nebuchadrezzar will also consequently have mercy on them, the final consequence of this being that they can now return safely to occupy their own land under YHWH’s protection, rather than seeking refuge in Egypt.
Indeed it is clear that by fleeing to Egypt they would in fact be giving Nebuchadrezzar the impression that they were guilty of being involved in Gedaliah’s assassination, and in the murder of the Babylonians who had been stationed in Mizpah. Had they in fact remained and informed Nebuchadrezzar of the efforts that they had made to bring the murderers to justice they may well have been believed. But they were aware of what he had done to Zedekiah and the rulers of Judah, and panicked.
Jer 42:13-14
“But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ so that you do not obey the voice of YHWH your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread, and there will we dwell,’ ”
On the other hand they are warned that if they refuse to take this option of dwelling in the land, thereby flagrantly disobeying YHWH, but rather declare that that they will go into Egypt and dwell there in order to avoid war and the sound of war, and in order to avoid hunger, then they must face the consequences which he is about to pronounce.
Jer 42:15
“Now therefore hear you the word of YHWH, O remnant of Judah. Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there,’
Jeremiah now gives a solemn pronouncement of what will happen to them if they choose Egypt. Returning to Egypt is constantly seen in Scripture as an indication of backsliding. Israel had hankered after Egypt in the wilderness (Exo 16:3; Num 11:5; Num 14:4), and they had continued to do so ever since even though Egypt had in the end brought them nothing but hurt (see Hosea 11). Scripture constantly sees their hearts as being centred on Egypt (‘the fleshpots of Egypt’ – Exo 16:3), even though God had delivered them from it, that was why in the end the One Who represented Israel had to be called out of Egypt (Mat 2:15). Deliverance from ‘Egypt’ and all that it stood for is essential for salvation.
Jer 42:16
“Then it shall come about, that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, of which you are afraid, will follow hard after you there in Egypt. And there you will die.”
For what would they find in Egypt? Would they find peace and security and wellbeing and life? No. Rather they would experience being overtaken by the sword and by famine and by death, the very things which they wished to avoid. Egypt could offer them no security.
Jer 42:17
“So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there. They will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and none of them will remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.”
This is what it will be like for all who set their faces on Egypt to go there. They will experience the judgments of sword and famine and pestilence (contagious disease), and none of them will escape from them, for YHWH Himself will bring them on them because of their disobedience. Sword, famine and pestilence are regularly described together as the means of God’s judgments (Jer 14:12; Jer 21:7; Jer 21:9; Jer 24:10; Jer 27:8; Jer 27:13; Jer 29:17-18; Jer 32:24; Jer 32:36; Jer 34:17; Jer 38:2; Jer 44:13; Eze 5:12; Eze 5:17; Eze 6:11-12; Eze 7:15; Eze 12:16). In Eze 14:21, where they are supplemented by wild beasts, they represent YHWH’s four judgments. They were the killers of the ancient world. And he emphasises that none will escape these judgments.
Jer 42:18
“For thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, As my anger and my wrath have been poured forth on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured forth on you, when you shall enter into Egypt, and you shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach, and you shall see this place no more.”
For their returning to Egypt will be as heinous a crime as that of the disobedience of the inhabitants of Jerusalem which brought YHWH’s anger and wrath on them. In the same way will His wrath be poured out on those who enter Egypt. They will experience the Levitical and Deuteronomic curses of being viewed with execration and astonishment (Lev 26:32; Deu 28:37), of being a curse and a reproach. and they will certainly never see their homeland again.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Lord’s Warning Answer
v. 7. And it came to pass after ten days, v. 8. Then called he Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people, from the least even to the greatest, v. 9. and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, v. 10. If ye will still abide in this land, v. 11. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid, v. 12. And I will show mercies unto you, v. 13. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord, your God, v. 14. saying, No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, v. 15. and now, therefore, v. 16. then it shall come to pass that the sword which ye feared, v. 17. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there, v. 18. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, As Mine anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, v. 19. The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah, v. 20. For ye dissembled in your hearts, v. 21. And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, your God, nor anything for the which He hath sent me unto you, v. 22. Now, therefore, know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 42:7. It came to pass after ten days The prophet prayed during these ten days, to obtain from God the revelation of his will; for the prophets had not always the spirit of prophecy at their command. The Spirit came and went as he would, and communicated himself only by intervals. Here Jeremiah begins the prophecy which he had as it were announced at the commencement of chap. 40: the relation whereof he has hitherto postponed, in order to inform his reader of what happened before, with which his prophecy was connected. During these ten days Jeremiah continued in retirement and prayer. See Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
7. THE UNWELCOME ANSWER
Jer 42:7-22
7And it came to pass after ten days, that [or that after ten days] the word of the 8Lord [Jehovah] came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces [band-leaders] which were with him, and all the 9people from the least even to the greatest, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah] the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication 10before him; If ye will still abide9in this laud, then will I build you, and not pull you down; and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me 11of the evil that I have done unto you. 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 12save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will shew mercies unto [prepare pity for]10you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return1113to your own land. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the 14voice of the Lord your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where [that][12]we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have 15hunger of [for]13bread; and there will we dwell: and now14 therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts [Jehovah Zebaoth] the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, 16and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass15 that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, whereof ye were 17afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them 18shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. For thus saith the Lord of hosts [Jehovah Zebaoth] the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment [horror] and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shalt 19see this place no more. The Lord hath said concerning you [Jehovah hath spoken to you] O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I 20have admonished [warned]16 you this day. For ye dissembled in your hearts [deceived yourselves],17 when18 ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall 21say, so declare unto us and we will do it. And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing19 22for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
After ten days the prophet receives answer from the Lord, which he immediately communicates to the leaders, and to the whole people (Jer 42:7-8). If they remain in the country they shall have nothing to fear from the Chaldeans, but the Lord will so direct the heart of the king that he will aid in their restoration (Jer 42:9-12). If, however, they do not remain in the country, but from fear of the Chaldeans flee to Egypt, they shall perish there by the same calamities, which they thought to escape by flight (Jer 42:13-18). Finally the prophet urgently admonishes them not to despise this warning, although he knows only too well, that it was pure self-deception when they inquired of the Lord by Him, since they had already resolved not to obey the Lords command. Well, they shall also know, that they will come to their ruin in the place, whither their desires lead them (Jer 42:19-22.)
Jer 42:7-12. And it came to pass your own land. The opinion of Hitzig and Graf, that Jeremiah used the ten days in procuring information and arriving at a clear and firm conviction, is in accordance with modern science but not with history. The prophet really received the answer to his prayer for divine direction (comp. Jer 42:4; Jer 32:16) not until after ten days. It is significant that he received it on the tenth day (comp. Eze 3:16), although we cannot stop here to investigate the ground of this significance (comp. [on symbolical numbers] Herzog, Real-Enc., XVIII., S. 381). On to present, etc., comp. Jer 38:26.On for I repent, etc. comp. Jer 26:3.Cause you to return. When we consider, that the prophet has in view not only the return of those who had been already carried away into exile, but may also with perfect correctness regard those as such who have assembled at Bethlehem and prepared to leave their home, turning their back upon it, the alteration [cause to dwell] proposed in the text seems unnecessary. It was not unpatriotic policy, nor indolence, nor selfishness, nor any view based on human foresight, which caused the prophet to speak thus. For, humanly considered, there was nothing left for the Jews but flight. The hope for further indulgence on the part of the Chaldean king must, seem like madness. The prophet, however, does not reckon alone with human factors. He is the organ of God, to whom nothing is impossible (Jer 32:26 sqq.), and who especially has the hearts of kings in His hand, and turns them whithersoever He will (Pro 21:1).
Jer 42:13-18. But if ye say this place no more. The words from neither obey, Jer 42:13, to dwell, Jer 42:14, are a parenthesis.Sound of the trumpet. Comp. Jer 4:19; Jer 4:21.Remnant, etc. Comp. Jer 41:16; Jer 42:2; Jer 42:19; Jer 43:5.Wholly set your faces. Comp. Jer 42:17; Jer 44:12; 2Ki 12:18.By sword, famine and pestilence (comp. Jer 14:12; Jer 21:9; Jer 27:8; Jer 27:13; Jer 29:18; Jer 32:3 b; Jer 38:2; Jer 44:13), will the disobedient perish in Egypt, and not a single individual will escape (comp. Jer 44:14; Lam 2:22; Jos 8:22). As on Jerusalem, so also on them will the fury of the Lord be poured out (Jer 7:20; 2Ch 34:21); they shall become an object of cursing, horror and derision (comp. Jer 24:9; Jer 25:18; Jer 44:22, etc.), and never return to their native land (comp. rems. on Jer 7:3).
Jer 42:19-22. Jehovah hath to sojourn. In a very earnest closing speech the prophet sets forth that the Lord Himself has spoken to the people. Then he reminds them that they have been warned. They cannot then have the excuse of ignorance. In the third place the prophet discovers to them their self-delusion. They perhaps imagined that they honestly desired the right, when they commissioned him to present their petition before God. What, however, is opposed to this honest intention easily appears to them to be incorrect, and therefore justifying them in resistance. The prophet therefore desires to convince them that they did not honestly wish to do the right. It was self-deception, when they declared themselves ready to obey unconditionally the divine command.In the fourth place, the prophet tells them before they had opened their mouth to reply, what was now passing in their minds, viz., that they had formed the fixed resolution not to obey the faithfully reported direction of Jehovah, in spite of their solemn declaration given in Jer 42:5-6.In the fifth place, finally, he proclaims to them, that the very place, to which an irresistible longing attracts them, will be their destruction. He announces this apodictically, because he knows that they will inevitably do what will bring them to this.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 40:1-3. Although the calamity, which has come upon Jerusalem, is great and terrible, God does not allow such evil to befal it that good will not result from it, as the Chaldean captain not obscurely intimates, that he has made a fair beginning in the knowledge of the true God. For he confesses, first, that the God of the prophet is a lord; secondly, that He knows future things; thirdly, that He causes His servants to proclaim these beforehand; fourthly, that God has conducted the war and done everything; fifthly, that He was displeased with the sinful manners of the people (among which idolatry was the worst); sixthly, that He has punished their disobedience to His word. Cramer.
2. On Jer 40:4. The friendliness, shown to the prophet, appears to proceed from men, but it comes from God. For Gods works are all made so that they are hidden among the creatures; for as He conceals His wisdom in the creation of heaven and earth, as He hides His kindness in the fruits of the earth, so also He disguises His help in the king of Babylon. For God executes. His works now by rational and anon by irrational creatures. As when He fed Elijah by the widow and by the ravens and by the angels (1Ki 17:3 sqq.; 14 sqq. and Jer 19:5). For all are His instruments. Cramer.
3. On Jer 40:2-3. Nebusaradan attestatione sua comprobat et confirmat veritatem ac certitudinem prdictionum prophet. Unde haud inscite colligi conjicique potest, quod Satrapa ille Babylonicus prditus fuerit agnitione veri Dei eque salvatus. Et sic Deus subinde aliquos ex Magnatibus ad sui agnitionem et ternam salutem traducit (Psalms 68). Potest istud exemplum obverti absoluto Calvinianorum decreto. Frster.
4. On Jer 40:5. In this, that Jeremiah preferred remaining in the country to going to Babylon, it strikes me furtherthat a discreet man, who knows the world and his heart and the true interest of Gods causeis as much as possible contented, and does not think to better himself by going further. He is willing to remain at court unknown, and at any rate he would rather be taken away than go away.The advice, which Solomon gives, is verified, Stand not in the place of great men. We are a generation of the cross, and our symbol is an evil name and little understood. Zinzendorf.
5. On Jer 40:5. In Babylonia honor and a comfortable life invited the prophet, in Judea danger, dishonor and need in the desolated country. In Babylonia a respectable field of labor was opened to him among the great mass of his people, in Judea he had only rabble and condottieri about him. Jeremiah, however, was not a bad patriot, as many accused him of being. By remaining in Judea he showed that the import of his prophecies, apparently friendly to the Chaldeans and hostile to the Jews, had proceeded from the purest love to his people and his fatherland. Thus he imitated Moses, of whom it is written in Heb 11:25, that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. The holy ground of the fatherland bound him to it, and in additionif he went, who was to take spiritual oversight of the poor forsaken remnant, to proclaim the word of God and bestow on them consolation and admonition? Those who were in Babylon had Ezekiel. And could not the Lord raise up other prophets for them? So he remained with the sheep, who had no shepherd. Jeremiah had not sought his own through his whole life, nor did he here.
6. On Jer 40:7 sqq. Human reason, and indeed nature shows, that in worldly government men cannot be without a head. For as the been cannot be without a queen, or the sheep without a shepherd, so no large number of people can exist without a head and government. God has wisely ordered it, and we should be thankful for the authorities. Cramer.
7. On Jer 40:11 sqq. We may well perceive in this remnant of Judah a fulfilment of the prophecy in Isa 6:11 sqq.: Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and Jehovah have removed men far away, and great is the forsaking in the midst of the land. And if a tenth remains in it, this again must be removed. Yet as the terebinth and the oak, in which when they are felled, a ground-stock still remains, so is its stock a holy scion.
8. On Jer 40:13 sqq. Gedaliah, in whom not only Nebuchadnezzar, but also his people, had confidence, must have been a noble man, to whom it was difficult to think evil of his neighbor. Those who are of a pious disposition, cannot believe so much evil, as is told of people. But we must not trust too much, for the world is full of falseness (Wisd. 37:3). He who believes too easily, will be often deceived, and he who believes no one is also deceived. Therefore is he indeed a happy man, who can preserve the golden mean. Cramer.
9. On Jer 40:13 sqq. Misfortune is like the waves of the sea; when one is broken another follows, and the end of one trouble is the beginning of others. Cramer.
10. On Jer 41:1-3. Judass kiss and Jacobs brethren are very common in the world and take after their grandfather Cain, who spake kindly to Abel and yet had blood-thirsty thoughts (Gen 4:8). Yea, they take after their father, the devil, who is a murderous spirit (Joh 8:44), and disguises himself as an angel of light (2Co 11:14). Cramer.
11. On Jer 41:1 sqq. Similia perfidi exempla (simulat fraternitatis): 2Sa 13:24; 2Sa 20:9 sq. Quadrat etiam huc historia nuptiarum Parisiensium celebratum 1572 mense Augusto. Frster.
12. On Jer 41:4 sqq.
Murder and avarice love to go with each other,
And one crime is often a prolific mother.Cramer.
13. On Jer 41:16 sqq. It is very remarkable that even this last centre and rendezvous of the unfortunate people must be destroyed. It might be supposed that with the destruction of the city and deportation of the people the judgments would have terminated. It seems as if the deed of Ishmael and the removal of the remnant to Egypt transcended the measure of punishment fixed by Jehovah, for the Lord did not send Ishmael, and the removal to Egypt He directly forbade. And yet it seems that only by Ishmaels act and the flight to Egypt could the land obtain its Sabbath rest, which is spoken of in Lev 26:34-35.
14. On Jer 42:1-6. Had not Johanan and his people asked for advice, but gone directly to Egypt, their sin would not have been so great. They feigned, however, submission to the will of God, while they yet adhered to their own will. It is a common fault for people to ask advice while they are firmly resolved what they will do. For they inquire not to learn what is right, but only to receive encouragement to do what they wish. If we advise them according to their inclination they take our advice, if not, they reject it.We must be on our guard when we appeal to Gods decision, that we do not previously decide for ourselves. For thus we fall into hypocrisy, which is the most fatal intoxication and blindness. Heim and Hoffman, The Major Prophets. [Those will justly lose their comfort in real fears, that excuse themselves in sin with pretended fears. Henry.S. R. A.]
15. On Jer 42:7. After the murder of Gedaliah the anger of Nebuchadnezzar seemed inevitable. But the Lord, to whom nothing is impossible (Jer 32:17), promises to perform a miracle, and restore Israel to new prosperity in their land if they will give Him the honor and trust in Him. Nebuchadnezzars heart is indeed in His hand. If this is not acknowledged and Nebuchadnezzar more feared than the Lord, their sin is then against the first commandment.
16. On Jer 42:13 sqq. God reminds His people of the favor with which He adopted them as His people, which was the most sacred obligation to obedience; that Egypt was to them a land of destruction, a forbidden land, as indeed all confidence in human aid is forbidden to those who would live by faith, which was known to them from the history of their fathers and all the prophets. It is a great sin to deem ones self safer under the protection of man than under that of God. It is incomprehensible, how blind unbelief makes people, so that the Jews have not yet learned the truth in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of God. Heim and Hoffman. Fides futurorum certa est ex prcedentibus. Tertull. Venient hc quoque sicut ista venerunt. Augustin.Frster.
17. On Jer 43:2 sqq. Hypocrites forsooth do not wish to be regarded as rejecting and setting themselves in opposition to Gods word, or accusing God of falsehood. For then is all the world pious, and no one refuses to be submissive to the dear Lord. God is truly God and remains so. It is only against this parson Jeremiah that they must act he lies, he is not sent, his ruling and preaching cannot be endured. Cramer.
18. On Jer 43:3. Observe the old diabolical trick: when preachers practice Gods word and their office with zeal, the world understands how to baptize it with another name and call it personal interest, as even here Baruch must bear the blame, as if he only wished to vent his anger on them and be contrary, Cramer.
19. On Jer 43:6. The ancients here examine the question why Jeremiah accompanied the people to Egypt and take occasion to discuss the 1 Comm. de fuga ministrorum with reference to Augustin. Epist. 150 ad Honorar. With respect to Jeremiah, it is clear that he did all in his power to avert the journey to Egypt. After the whole people, however, were once on their way it was impossible for him and Baruch to remain alone in the deserted country. They were obliged to go with their flock. The more these were wandering, the more need they had of the shepherds. Thus, even if they were not compelled, they had to go with them. It seems, however, to follow from the expression , Jer 43:5, that no choice was given them. The people wished to have the prophet with them. In no case can we say that Jeremiah fled, for according to his own prophecy, he knew that he was going to meet ruin in Egypt.
20. On Jer 43:8-13. At the present day when we wish to convey to posterity the account of some accomplished fact, or the prediction of some fact to be accomplished (ex. gr. a last testament), we take paper and ink, write it down, seal it, have it subscribed by witnesses and preserve it in the registrars or recorders office. In ancient times they took a simpler and surer way. Jacob and Laban simply erected a heap of stones (Genesis 31), the two and a half tribes (Joshua 22) built an altar on the bank of the Jordan. As long as the heap and the altar were standing, the record was transmitted from generation to generation for what object these stone witnesses were set up, and thus, that which it was desired to convey to posterity lived in the memory of men. Jeremiah also knows how to use ink and pen (Jeremiah 32), but here he returns once more to the old manner of preserving archives. He simply places great stones in the clay, declaring what they signify, viz., that here, on this spot, Nebuchadnezzars tent shall stand. Whether the Egyptians and Jews then believed him or not, is of no consequence. The record of these stones and their meaning at any rate remained alive, and the Lords word was thus safely preserved till the day of its fulfilment.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 40:1-12; Jer 41:1-3; Jer 42:1-16. Israel, the chosen nation, is in its destinies a type of human life in general. Consider only the exodus from Egypt. So also the destinies of the people of Israel, after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, are pretypical. For 1. The deportation of the whole people in chains and fetters is a type of our universal human misery, from which no one (not even Jeremiah) is free. 2. The fate of Gedaliah and the journey to Egypt is a type of the insufficiency of all mere human help. 3. As the Jews after Gedaliahs murder, so men at all times, find protection and deliverance in the Lord alone.
2. On Jer 40:1-6. The Christian in the tumult of the world. 1. He is regarded externally like others. 2. The eye of the Lord watches with special care over him, so that (a) not a hair of his head is bent, (b) all his wants are provided for. 3. He, however, on his part directs all his efforts to the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and will not be turned aside from this either by the violence or the friendliness of the world.
3. On Jer 40:7 to Jer 41:3. Gedaliahs fate an example of what befals even the most noble in times of deep corruption. 1. They enjoy general confidence. 2. They are incapable of attributing extreme wickedness to men. 3. They become a sacrifice to their confidence. 4. They are therefore not in a condition to stay the divine judgments.
4. On Jer 42:1-16. What is the surest way of coming to the right conclusion in difficult cases? 1. To inquire of the Lord. 2. To obey unconditionally the direction which the Lord communicates. [We must still in faith pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the hints of Providence. Henry.S. R. A.]
5. On Jer 43:1-7. Characteristic example of the artfulness of the human heart: the Jews inquire of the Lord and promise to obey His direction (Jer 42:20). But when the direction does not accord with their wish, they at once declare it to be supposititious, not from the Lord. The prophet must be a liar, an alleged enemy has incited him. But what was long previously determined in the heart is obstinately brought to execution. [Those that are resolved to contradict the great ends of the ministry, are industrious to bring a bad name upon it. It is well for persons who are thus misrepresented that their witness is in heaven, and their record on high. Henry.S. R. A.].
6. On Jer 43:8-13. The ways of the Lord are wonderful. Israel flees before Nebuchadnezzar far away to Egypt. But there they are not safe. The Lord causes it to be proclaimed to them that at the entrance of the kings palace at Tahpanhes Nebuchadnezzars tent shall stand. Now indeed there is a brick-kiln there, in the clay of which Jeremiah is to place stones, the foundation stones, as it were, for the Chaldean kings pavilion. Thus the Lord lays the germs of future events, and whatever He prepares in secret He reveals in His own time to the glory of His wisdom, omniscience and omnipotence.
Footnotes:
[9]Jer 42:10. is evidently abbreviated from , since the sense renders the derivation from Chr B.Michaelis and Rosenmuller, indeed translate, si rivertendo illuc manseritis in hac terra. But then the Inf. abs. would be placed after the finite verb. Comp. Naegelsb Gr., 93, e.This apocopation of is certainly unexampled in this form but most readily assumed in a verb according to the analogy of the Ing. constr. and Imperfect Comp. besides Olsh., 89; 170 a Anm.; 245, h. Anm.
[10]Jer 42:12.From the following sentence it is evident that here does not mean to show compassion, but to prepare pity, to procure it on the part of another. Comp. Gen 43:14.
[11]Jer 42:12.. Lxx., Vulg., Syr., J. D. Michaelis, Hitzig, Ewald, Graf, would read, , but this would not agree with the following . Comp. also Exeg and Crit. rems. [Blayney: would settle you in, etc.S. R. A.]
[12]Jer 42:14.= that. Comp. Gen 11:7; Exo 20:23; Deu 4:40; Deu 4:3.
[13]Jer 42:14.. From Amo 8:11 we perceive that the meaning of the expression is, to hunger for or after bread.
[14]Jer 42:15.With begins the apodosis (paratactically introduced. Comp. Naegelsb Gr., 110, 2) to in Jer 42:13.
[15]Jer 42:16. has this form by attraction, as well as Jer 42:17. Comp. Ewald 345, b.
[16]Jer 42:19. , literally to bring in witnesses, then to adduce testimony (according to the directly causative mode of speaking, on which comp. Naegelsb Gr., 18, 3). From the idea of giving testimony is developed that of earnest solemn address, admonition, warning. comp. Psa 50:7; Deu 8:19; Jer 9:7
[17]Jer 42:20. is also to be regarded as directly causative=errationem fecit (Gesen.)Comp. Pro 10:17. It is therefore doubtful whether indicates the object or the place. The word is at least not found elsewhere with of the person. The prophet might well say, ye have erred in your souls, i.e., in your volition and thought, and have thus taken a false direction, while ye supposed ye were on the right track. The Chethibh is evidently a mistake. The Keri is correct [Noyes strangely renders, ye err to your ruin.S. R. A.
[18]Jer 42:20. =when. Comp. Jdg 2:18; Psa 32:3; Eze 3:19.
[19]Jer 42:21. may mean, and indeed with respect to all, etc. Since, however, only one point is treated of, the emphatic expression of a multiplicity of points is remarkable. I therefore think that the word stands in simple parallelism to the first clause, while is construed only with instead of with a construction which (apart from Gen 3:17; Jdg 2:20; Psa 58:6) is peculiar to the latter idiom: Neh 9:29; Neh 13:27; 2Ch 10:16; Dan 1:14; Lev 26:21. A Double disobedience is thus declared against Jehovah and against the prophet.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Reader! do remark the graciousness of God. And recollect, that from the first threatenings, such was the uniform language the Lord used. And had Zedekiah listened to it, what calamities would have been spared. But, Reader, do not overlook also the personal interest that we have, in the present hour, to the same truths. If sinners look stedfastly to Jesus, and trust to his righteousness, and stay themselves upon it, without an eye to the righteousness of the creature, their salvation would be also near. But if we make the reeds of Egypt our confidence, instead of the Rock of Ages, what is this but the same conduct as Johanan, and the people with him.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 42:7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
Ver. 7. And it came to pass that after ten days. ] So long God held his holy prophet in request; and so he doth still his best servants many times, thereby tying, as it were, the sacrifice to the horns of the altar. How impatient those wretched roysters were of such a delay, we may well imagine (the Chinese use to whip their gods when they will not hear and help them forthwith); but God held them off as unworthy of any answer, and seemed by his silence to say unto them, as in Eze 20:3 , “Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord, I will not be inquired of by you.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 42:7-17
7Now at the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah 8 Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, 9and said to them, Thus says the LORD the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10’If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil. 13But if you are going to say, We will not stay in this land, so as not to listen to the voice of the LORD your God, 14saying, No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there; 15then in that case listen to the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, 16then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. 17So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.’
Jer 42:7 at the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah Notice that Jeremiah had to wait for God to respond. He could not voice his own opinion. For ten see Special Topic: Symbolic Numbers in Scripture .
Jer 42:10 If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down This is related to Jeremiah’s call in Jer 1:10. This is a tremendous promise of restoration, covenant, and divine protection!
I will relent This is literally to be sorry (BDB 636, KB 688, Piel PERFECT). Usually this concept is found in the Niphal stem (cf. Jer 18:8-10; Joe 2:13; Amo 7:3; Amo 7:6; Jon 3:10; Jon 4:2). The Piel usually denotes compassion (cf. Hos 11:8).
Remember all characterizations about Deity are communicated in human language (see Special Topic at Jer 1:9). A change of heart and mind in a human triggers a positive response from God! Most prophecies are conditional (even when not stated). They express what will happen if the current attitude and actions continue. But if repentance occurs the future changes (i.e., Jonah)!
Jer 42:11 What a wonderful encouragement.
1. do not be afraid of the king of Babylon – BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense (cf. Jer 1:11)
2. whom you are now fearing – BDB 431, KB 432, Qal PARTICIPLE
3. do not be afraid of him (repeated for emphasis)
4. I am with you
a. to save – BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT (Jer 15:20)
b. to deliver – BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT (cf. Jer 1:19)
This was YHWH’s word to them! Would they believe it and obey it by faith? They said they would (Jer 42:5-6), but they would not!
Jer 42:12 YHWH promises that as He shows compassion/mercy (BDB 933, KB 1216), He will guide His servant Nebuchadnezzar to show mercy to the remaining remnant of Judeans.
The phrase I will restore you to your own soil may reflect that
1. Jeremiah wrote this text while in Egypt
2. it is idiomatic for their own personal ancestral property
Jer 42:13-17 The conditional nature of YHWH’s answer to their prayers through Jeremiah is clearly spelled out in these verses. Rejection of YHWH’s repentance and mercy becomes the curse of judgment (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30). There is an awesome responsibility in seeking YHWH’s guidance!
The IMPERATIVE of listen (hear, BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) in Jer 42:15 has consequences (cf. Luk 12:48).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 42:7-22
Jer 42:7-8
AFTER TEN DAYS, GOD REPLIED
And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
After ten days…
(Jer 42:7). Upon other occasions, God had replied almost at once to the prophet; but here, as in the case of the prophecy against Hananiah, the Word of God came after a delay of ten days. Why? We cannot agree with such writers as those mentioned by Keil, who thought the delay was for the purpose of allowing Jeremiah time to get further news, or for Jeremiah’s own meditations to mature. As Keil noted, Such an interpretation is unscriptural and rests upon a denial of divine inspiration. The basic understanding of the Bible requires absolutely that its readers understand what is written, not as the words of men, but as the Word of God through men!
Feinberg’s word on this is: “The prophets never confused God’s revelation with their personal desires, judgments, or conclusions. They would not announce God’s will until they were certain that they knew what it was. The Scripture always distinguishes between the subjective thoughts of the prophets and the objective Word of God.”
Two radical critics, Hitzig and Graf, stated that the ten-day delay in God’s reply to Jeremiah was for the purpose of “Giving Jeremiah time to collect information and make up his mind.” However, as Smith observed, “That would turn Jeremiah into a wise politician instead of a divine prophet!”
The 10-day delay was disciplinary, giving the people time themselves to pray and await the arrival of God’s Word. Instead of that, it seems that the people pushed forward their preparations for going into Egypt; for, as events proved, they were determined to do their own will in that matter, not the will of God.
Jer 42:9-12
ISRAEL COMMANDED TO STAY IN PALESTINE
and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him: If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith Jehovah: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
From here through Jer 42:22 Jeremiah revealed the prophetic word from God as doing the following things: (1) It promised them security and salvation if they would obey. (2) It warned them against disobedience. (3) It emphatically commanded them not to go down into Egypt. (4) It warned them against self-deception of a heart which asks for guidance when it has already made its decision.
The remnant who were determined to go into Egypt were afraid of the king of Babylon, who was indeed a terrible and powerful enemy; but God Himself promised to save the people from him, if they would only obey their God. “In the year 582 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar did again return to Jerusalem and take more captives (See Jer 52:30),” that event being associated (by some scholars) with the actual date of Gedaliah’s assassination. But God, if the people had obeyed his word, would easily have saved everyone of them exactly as he had promised. Many of God’s blessings and promises were cancelled because of the disobedience of his children.
Jer 42:13-17
WARNINGS AGAINST DISOBEDIENCE
But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land; so that ye obey not the voice of Jehovah your God, saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: now therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, If ye indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
In view of the long record of the prophecies of Jeremiah which the Jews had already seen fulfilled exactly, it appears almost incredible that they would have stubbornly gone right on down into Egypt after a warning like this; but they went!
No comment is appropriate here except a word of grief and disappointment that the remnant of Judah should have been so blindly disobedient to the word of the Lord.
Jer 42:18
FINAL WORD TO THOSE BOUND FOR EGYPT
For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: As mine anger and my wrath hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
“The Lord’s reply to the people’s request regarding God’s will for them extends through this Jer 42:18; but the last four verses of the chapter constitute an epilogue, in which Jeremiah once more pleads with the people to do God’s will.”
The summary of God’s whole message was (1) remain in Judaea, and God will bless you, build you up, etc. (2) Go to Egypt, and you will incur the wrath of God; and the last one of you that go shall die there by the sword, the famine, or the pestilence. (3) Furthermore, the very things that make you afraid to remain in Judah shall befall you in Egypt.
Jer 42:19-22
CERTAIN DOOM AWAITS THEM IN EGYPT
Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have testified unto you this day. For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God; and according unto all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it: and I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God in anything for which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there.
Ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah…
(Jer 42:21). Some scholars object to this statement and suppose that by bringing in Jer 43:1-3 prior to this paragraph they might improve the sense. This is not necessary at all, for two reasons: (1) these words are not simple past tense, but the prophetic tense in which the future is spoken of as having already occurred, so certain is the fulfillment of God’s Word; and (2) by reason of the people’s rushing headlong to get ready for their departure to Egypt during that ten days in which the prophet had waited for the word of Jehovah, Jeremiah had already learned their answer. They were fully determined to go to Egypt, no matter what the Lord might say. Jeremiah’s answer here was from God, from Him who knows the hearts of men. This word from the holy prophet is similar to that of Moses in his final address to Israel, who told Israel, I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck, and that you will corrupt yourselves (Deu 31:27; Deu 31:29).
3. The response of the Lord (Jer 42:7-22)
Jeremiah waited ten days before the Lord clearly made known His will to the mind of the prophet. It seems as though God was preparing the heart of His messenger both to receive and to communicate His word to the people. No doubt the people were perturbed by the delay. They knew what the divine directive had to be, so why delay. Each day they manifested their impatience and disgust. Still Jeremiah refused to speak until he was certain that the message was from God. After ten days of prayerful wrestling with God, the answer came. Jeremiah immediately called for the entire encampment to hear Gods word. The response of the Lord contains two parts: the way of peace (Jer 42:10-12), and the way to punishment (Jer 42:13-18). To this is added a word of exhortation by Jeremiah (Jer 42:19-22).
a) The way of Peace (Jer 42:10-12). The word of the Lord came as a complete shock to the assembled remnant.
It was Gods will that they remain in Judah! If they chose to remain in the land, God would build them up i.e., cause them to prosper. God was not angry with them. Quite the contrary. The Lord declares: I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you (Jer 42:10). This is not a confession of mistake or of remorse for the disasters which He has brought upon them. Rather it means that His attitude and conduct toward His people now has changed. He is not hostile toward them any longer. Hu man reason would indicate that they flee to Egypt and place themselves under the protection of Pharaoh. To re main in the land would be an act of faith.
After the general promises of peace and prosperity, the Lord addressed Himself to the specific fears of the community. Their anxiety concerning the reaction of Nebuchadnezzar to the death of his governor were groundless. God was with them and would deliver them out of the hand of the Chaldean king (Jer 42:11) and the king whom they feared would actually show mercy to them (Jer 42:12). With the change of only one vowel in the Hebrew the phrase cause you to return can be read cause you to dwell. This reading is preferable in view of the circumstances here. How often in the life of a Christian the worst fears prove to be ungrounded.
b) The way of punishment (Jer 42:13-18). The people as free moral agents had a choice to make. If they chose to remain in the land they would enjoy peace and prosperity. But if they chose flight to Egypt they would experience the punishment of God. The choice was up to them. God lets man choose his destiny.
Anticipating the reaction to the people to the commandment of God to remain in the land Jeremiah undercuts the major argument of the Egypt-bound remnant. In Egypt the people imagined that they would enjoy peace and plenty. They would escape, so they thought, the ravishes of war (Jer 42:14). Not so, said Jeremiah. The sword will follow you to Egypt and there you will experience all the horrors of war (Jer 42:16). There you will die of the sword, famine, and pestilence (Jer 42:17). Just as in the past the nation had experienced the judgments of God, so would the wrath of God be poured out upon the remnant if they disobeyed this command of God. They would become an object of execration and horror; they would be accursed and derided. They would never again see their homeland (Jer 42:15).
c) The prophetic exhortation (Jer 42:19-22). As Jeremiah delivered the word of the Lord he could see in his audience the hardened look of rejection. Earnestly he exhorts his hearers to follow the divine directive and remain in the land. This is not my personal opinion; the Lord has spoken concerning you O remnant. You surely know that I have admonished or testified against you this day (Jer 42:19). Your guilt is all the more serious[355] in that you sent me unto the Lord to inquire concerning His will and you pledged yourselves to submit to that will (Jer 42:20-21). You dissembled in your hearts (KJV) i.e., you have deceived yourselves. On this translation Jeremiah is charging them with self-deception. Another translation of the phrase is possible: you have erred at the risk of your lives. On this translation Jeremiah is saying that these people have put their life in jeopardy by swearing to obey God and then rejecting His commandment. This disobedience had sealed their own death warrant. Unbelief does not alter the word of God. Be absolutely sure of this one thing, says the prophet: If you persist in your manifest intentions to go to Egypt you shall die of the sword, famine, and the pestilence (Jer 42:22).
The Flight to Egypt – Jer 40:7 to Jer 45:5
Open It
1. Whom do you know who has been too trusting and suffered because he or she refused to believe ill of another person?
2. What traditional superstitions were you taught as you were growing up?
Explore It
3. How did the governor appointed by the Babylonians reassure the small fighting force that remained in the land after the Babylonians withdrew? (Jer 40:7-10)
4.How did the remnant of people in the land of Judah grow and begin to prosper? (Jer 40:11-12)
5. What warning did some of the commanders give to Gedaliah, the appointed governor? (Jer 40:13-14)
6. How did Johanan propose to solve the threat against Gedaliah, which he perceived as potentially disastrous to the whole remnant? (Jer 40:15)
7. How did Gedaliah respond to Johanans desire to protect him? (Jer 40:16)
8. What devious plan was carried out by Ishmael and his followers? (Jer 41:1-3)
9. What evil deeds did Ishmael add to his murder of Gedaliah? (Jer 41:4-10)
10. What transpired when Johanan caught up to Ishmael? (Jer 41:11-15)
11. What did Johanan assume the remaining faithful people would have to do since Gedaliah had been murdered? (Jer 41:16-18)
12. What request did Johanan and the people with him make of the prophet Jeremiah? (Jer 42:1-3)
13. What promises did Jeremiah and the people make to one another? (Jer 42:4-6)
14. What positive commands and reassuring words did Jeremiah bring from God? (Jer 42:7-12)
15. What warning did God have for the people in anticipation of their intended disobedience? (Jer 42:13-18)
16. Of what fatal mistake did Jeremiah accuse the remnant of Judah? (Jer 42:19-22)
17. How did Johanan and the other leaders rationalize their disobedience? (Jer 43:1-3)
18. Who were the people who entered Egypt, some of them against their will? (Jer 43:4-7)
19. When he was at Tahpanhes with the others, what symbolic action did God tell Jeremiah to take, and what was the meaning? (Jer 43:8-13)
20. For what sin did God, through Jeremiah, remind the people that He had punished Judah and Jerusalem? (Jer 44:1-6)
21. Why was Jeremiah amazed that the remnant had not learned a lesson from all that had happened before? (Jer 44:7-10)
22. What did God say He would do to all those determined to go to Egypt for protection? (Jer 44:11-14)
23. What superstitious belief did the people cite as they defied Jeremiah openly? (Jer 44:15-19)
24. How did Jeremiah proceed to correct their thinking about the real cause of their misfortune? (Jer 44:20-23)
25. With what vow did God answer the peoples vow to continue worshiping the “Queen of Heaven”? (Jer 44:24-28)
26. What did God promise to do to the pharaoh of Egypt, whom the Israelites considered an ally against Babylon? (Jer 44:29-30)
27. Why was the scribe, Baruch, feeling sorry for himself? (Jer 45:1-3)
28. How did God respond to Baruchs self-pity? (Jer 45:4-5)
Get It
29. What mistake on the part of a well-meaning governor kept the remnant of poor people and fugitive soldiers from prospering after the Babylonian conquest?
30. How did reliance on their own wisdom and preconceptions about Gods answer get Johanan and his fellow leaders into trouble?
31. What (other than fear of the Babylonians) led the people to ignore God and His prophet, Jeremiah?
32. Why did Jeremiah call the disobedience of the people who insisted on fleeing to Egypt a fatal mistake?
33. Why do people swear oaths that they dont really intend to keep?
34. Why are some people willing to attribute their misfortune to Gods indifference or powerlessness rather than to their own sins?
35. When have you felt discouraged because of how long you have endured hardship in doing the right thing?
36. What blessings will follow if we allow Gods loving-kindness to be our reward for faithfulness?
Apply It
37. In what area of your life do you need to pray for Gods perspective on human evil?
38. What initial steps can you take to refocus on the eternal rather than the earthly rewards when you face discouragement in serving the Lord?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapters Forty-Two & Forty-Three
By Brent Kercheville
1 What do the people as Jeremiah to do (Jer 42:1-6)? What do we learn from this?
2 How long do they wait for prayer to be answered?
3 What was Gods response to their prayer (Jer 42:7-22)? What was the clear message to them?
4 What is the peoples response to Gods answer given through Jeremiah (Jer 43:1-7)? What lessons do we learn from this?
5 What is Gods message for their disobedience (Jer 43:8-13)?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God? What did you learn about him? What will
you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
At this time he was waiting for a revelation from God in answer to the enquiries of the people; who probably thus delayed to make known his will, in order to shew them that Jeremiah did not speak of his own mind, but when and as he was directed. The delay was also suited to give time for consideration, and to retard their rash project; and, as it would render them impatient, it tended to detect their hypocrisy, and to shew more clearly their determined rebellion against God. Psa 27:14, Isa 28:16, Hab 2:3
Reciprocal: Eze 12:12 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 42:7. The Lord used a waiting time of ten days before giving to Jeremiah the message in answer to his prayer on behalf of the people.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 42:7-10. And it came to pass after ten days Thus long they were held in suspense, perhaps to punish them for their hypocrisy, or to show that Jeremiah did not speak of himself nor what he would; for he could not speak when he would, but was obliged to wait for instructions; the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah Namely, the word mentioned, Jer 40:1, to which the contents of the last two chapters, and the preceding part of this, are but an historical preface. Then called he Johanan, and all the captains, &c. What the Lord had revealed to him he declared publicly, both to the captains and to all the people, to those in the lowest as well as to those in the highest station; and that fully and faithfully as he had received it. Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel If Jeremiah had been desired to direct them by his own prudence, probably he could not have determined what to advise them to, the case being certainly difficult: but what he has to advise is, that, which the Lord God of Israel, to whom they had sent him, directed to be said. If ye will still abide in this land That is, If you will give up all thoughts of going into the land of Egypt, and abide where you are, or in any part of Judea under subjection to, and in the protection of, the king of Babylon, into whose power I have given you; then will I build you, &c. Then will I see to your security and prosperity, and make you a happy people. For I repent me of the evil, &c. I am satisfied with the punishment which your nation hath undergone, and now, if you do not destroy yourselves by new acts of disobedience, I will change the course of my providence toward you. God is said in Scripture to repent when he alters the outward methods of his providence toward any people or individual: see note on Gen 6:6.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
42:7 {c} And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
(c) Here is declared the vision and the opportunity of it, of which mention was made, Jer 40:1 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Ten days after agreeing to the remnan’t request, word came back to Jeremiah from Yahweh-so he assembled all the people to tell them God’s will. Perhaps the Lord waited this long to respond, to see if the people would wait for His answer, or proceed on to Egypt without it.