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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
26:1-29:32 Jeremiah Opposes False Belief. Jeremiah speaks against believing that the temple's existence indicates God's approval of Judah (ch. 26), that Babylon will not conquer Judah (ch. 27), that Babylon's power would cease soon (ch. 28), and that the exile would end quickly (ch. 29).
26:1 The events of this chapter occur
26:3 God's reason for sending Jeremiah is to offer Judah one more chance to turn from . . . evil so that he may relent from punishing (see note on 1:13-14). This is generally the intent of prophetic preaching in Scripture (cf. 18:7-8).
26:4-5 Sending the prophets was a gracious act on God's part. Failure to listen (obey) meant a rejection of that grace.
26:7-8 priests . . . prophets . . . people. The ones who need God's word yet reject it (1:17-19). You shall die! A phrase traditionally used as a death sentence (cf. 1 Sam. 14:44; 1 Kings 2:37, 42).
26:9 Why have you prophesied? Jeremiah's audience considers a sermon against Jerusalem and the temple to be blasphemy. Jeremiah considers their deeds the real blasphemy (7:11-15).
26:10 officials. Judges, in this instance. took their seat. To judge the matter. entry of the New Gate. The place where judicial proceedings occurred (cf. Amos 5:10, 12, 15).
26:11 The priests and the prophets claim Jeremiah has prophesied against this city, or committed treason.
26:12 The Lord sent me. Jeremiah claims to speak only God's words (1:4-10) concerning the city and temple (this house).
26:13 mend your ways (lit., "make good"; 7:3; 18:11) . . . and obey. These are the true marks of repentance. relent. See 18:8, 10; 26:3.
26:14 good and right. The correct verdict in any judicial matter.
26:15 innocent blood. The condemning of just persons. Such unjust verdicts were common in Jeremiah's day (cf. 2:34; 7:6; 19:4; 22:17).
26:16 The officials (judges) and people (assembled community) oppose the religious leaders' wishes.
26:17 elders of the land. Most likely civic leaders from other cities.
26:19 The elders note how Hezekiah and the people heeded Micah's words and repented, which led to God relenting of the disaster of Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in (2 Kings 18-19). The elders counsel obedience to Jeremiah's words. This shows that Micah's oracle was considered canonical by this time; it also shows that prophecy has a moral purpose, rather than simply telling the future (see note on Jer. 18:7; also Isa. 38:1-6).
26:20 Another prophet, Uriah (otherwise unknown), also prophesied in Jehoiakim's era in a manner similar to Jeremiah.
26:21-23 In contrast to the thoughtful response of Hezekiah (v. 19), Jehoiakim sought to kill Uriah, who had fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim had him brought back to Judah and executed.
26:24 Only by the intervention of Ahikam did Jeremiah escape Uriah's fate. The death of other faithful prophets underscores the unusual nature of God's promise of protection to Jeremiah (1:17-19). Shaphan. A scribe during Josiah's reform (2 Kings 22:3-14).
27:1 beginning of the reign of Zedekiah.
27:2 Make yourself. Jeremiah was to engage in yet another symbolic act (cf. 13:1-11; 16:1-9; 19:1-15). straps and yoke-bars. Yokes were made of wooden bars affixed to the animal by leather thongs.
27:3-4 A group of envoys had come to Jerusalem to plot strategy for opposing Babylon. Jeremiah, God's envoy, gave a message for these envoys to take to their kings.
27:5 Jeremiah's message that Israel's God made and ruled the earth would likely have amused the envoys, all of whom served deities they considered Yahweh's equal.
27:6-7 Nebuchadnezzar . . . my servant. See 25:8-9. make him their slave. See 27:12, 14. Babylon's rule will not last forever.
27:8 Until the era of Nebuchadnezzar's grandsons, the nations must serve Babylon or face sword, famine, and pestilence (14:1-12; 15:1-2; 16:4; 18:21; 21:7-9; 24:10).
27:9-10 it is a lie. Any prophet or other teller of the future who disputes Jeremiah's word is a lying prophet like those described in 23:9-40.
27:11 God counsels all nations to serve Babylon. They should wear Babylon's yoke just as Jeremiah wears his symbolic yoke (v. 2).
27:12-15 Having delivered God's message to the other nations, Jeremiah now tells Zedekiah the same thing: serving Babylon is God's will.
27:16 vessels of the Lord's house. Some valuable articles were removed from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar in (Dan. 1:1-2) and (2 Kings 24:10-13). shortly be brought back. False prophets claimed that Babylon's oppression would soon end.
27:18 True prophets would pray that what remains in the temple not be taken away. Only serving Babylon can avert greater loss.
27:19 pillars. Located in the vestibule of the temple and overlaid with bronze (1 Kings 7:15-22). sea. A tank holding water to clean the area where sacrifices were made (1 Kings 7:23-26). Stands supported the sea and were overlaid with bronze (1 Kings 7:27-37). vessels. Bronze basins (1 Kings 7:38). See illustrations.
27:21-22 The articles noted in v. 19 will indeed go to Babylon, but will also return. The threat came true in , and the promise of their return came true in , when the Israelites returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7, 8; 5:13-17).
28:1 same year. As in 27:16-22. fourth year. c. Gibeon. A town
28:2-4 Thus says the Lord. Hananiah claimed divine authority for his false prophecy. I have broken the yoke . . . Within two years. Hananiah contradicts Jeremiah's prophecy concerning serving Babylon (27:8-11) and the temple's vessels (27:19-22). bring back . . . Jeconiah . . . and all the exiles. That is, Jeconiah (another name for Jehoiachin) and the others exiled in --again a direct contradiction of Jeremiah's prophecy (22:24-27).
28:6 Amen! May the Lord do so. Jeremiah wishes that Hananiah's prophecy were true, for he has prayed for the people (11:14; 14:11) and preached for their benefit.
28:8-9 Jeremiah's point is that peace and security is the rarer of the two messages described here. Peace requires repentance (26:18-19), which has not occurred. when the word . . . comes to pass. Cf. Deut. 18:22.
28:10-11 False prophets could perform symbolic acts as easily as true ones. Hananiah's breaking of Jeremiah's yoke-bars (27:2) brought no response from Jeremiah.
28:12-15 Eventually God asserts that Hananiah's prophecy turns the yoke-bars of surrender into a yoke of devastation by leading people to ignore God's advice to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar (27:1-11).
28:16-17 Hananiah probably feared rebelling against Zedekiah, so he prophesied peace. However, he has rebelled against the Lord, so he dies after uttering his prophecy (vv. 1-4).
29:1 The purpose of this letter is to reassure these exiles that God has not abandoned them or forgotten his purpose for them. At the same time, since its contents would be widely known in Judah, it also reinforces Jeremiah's announcements of impending judgment on those left in Judah. All the people were taken into exile in by Nebuchadnezzar.
29:2 queen mother. Nehushta (2 Kings 24:8). eunuchs. Royal servants and officials. See Jer. 24:1; and note on 2 Kings 9:32.
29:3 Elasah. Mentioned only here in Scripture. Shaphan. Perhaps an official under Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-13). Gemariah. Perhaps involved in reading Jeremiah's scroll in Jer. 36:10, 12, 25. Hilkiah. A common name (1:1), perhaps the chief priest for Josiah (2 Kings 22:4-23:4).
29:5-6 The exiles should plan for a long stay in Babylon. They will not return anytime soon, despite Hananiah's words (28:4).
29:7 The exiles should hope and work for Babylon's success, for they will share this success. Welfare is shalom (Hb.), which covers all aspects of peace and plenty (see note on John 14:27). The people of Israel were true to their calling when they brought blessing to the Gentiles (Gen. 12:2-3).
29:8-9 prophets and . . . diviners. False prophets went into exile and were deceiving the people by promising a return to the land (vv. 21-23).
29:10 God promises to bring the exiles home, but only after
29:11 God's plans for the exiles is welfare (Hb. shalom; see note on v. 7), not evil, or "calamity." Having sought Babylon's shalom, the exiles will receive God's shalom in the form of a future and a hope in their homeland.
29:12 Eventually, God will respond to his people's prayers for restoration.
29:13 You will seek me and find me. This amazing promise from the infinitely righteous, holy God to sinful people echoes a promise in Deut. 4:29 and remains true even to the present day (John 6:37). all your heart. See Jer. 4:4, 14; 11:20; 12:2; 17:9.
29:14 I will bring you back. After , Israel's penitent prayers and changed hearts will lead to God's restoration of the nation (Deut. 30:1-10).
29:15-17 prophets for us. See note on vv. 8-9. In contrast to the exiles, those who remain in Jerusalem will face sword, famine, and pestilence (5:12; 14:1-11; 15:1-4; 16:4; 21:1-10; 24:10). They are the vile figs first mentioned in ch. 24.
29:20 God addresses the exiles again.
29:21-22 As vv. 8-9 indicate, false prophets addressed the exiles. Lord of hosts ("Yahweh of armies") is often used in judgment passages to describe God (cf. 5:14). Ahab the son of Kolaiah . . . Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah. Neither is mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. prophesying a lie. See 27:10, 14, 16; 28:15; 29:9. The lie is not specified, but they probably promised a quick return from exile. deliver them into the hand. Have Ahab and Zedekiah arrested. strike them down. The penalty for their lies in contrast to God's protection of Jeremiah (1:17-19). Their fate will be so terrible that they will become a curse used to condemn others.
29:23 outrageous thing. A technical term for extreme acts that contribute to the breakdown of society. It can refer to aberrant sexual acts (Deut. 22:21; Judg. 19:23-24; 20:6, 10; 2 Sam. 13:12) or to acts of defiance against God's explicit orders (Josh. 7:10-15). committed adultery. See Jer. 23:13-15; 2 Tim. 3:1-6. I am witness. God has seen everything, even what the false prophets thought was done in secret (cf. Jer. 23:23-24).
29:24 Shemaiah is unmentioned elsewhere, and the location of Nehelam is unknown.
29:25 Shemaiah sent letters from Babylon to counter Jeremiah's prior correspondence (vv. 4-23). Zephaniah. Not the prophet. See 21:1-2.
29:26 Shemaiah considered it Zephaniah's duty to punish the madman (1 Sam. 21:14-15; 2 Kings 9:11; Hos. 9:7), a term that probably relates to a "babbler" pretending to be a prophet. Jeremiah was actually placed in stocks at least once (Jer. 20:2).
29:27-28 Shemaiah does not consider Jeremiah's letter (vv. 4-23) either comforting or true. He believes prophets like Hananiah who prophesy a short exile (ch. 28). Anathoth. See 1:1-3.
29:29 Zephaniah never persecutes Jeremiah (21:1-2; 37:1-10; 38:24-28). Here he informs Jeremiah of Shemaiah's demands.
29:31-32 Shemaiah is revealed as a false prophet who makes people trust in lies (28:15). His descendants (or "his offspring") could mean near or distant descendants who presumably share his rebellion (see Ex. 20:5-6; Ezek. 18:1-4). spoken rebellion. By preaching what God has not said.
