King James Version
Jeremiah 26
24 verses with commentary
Jeremiah Threatened with Death
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD</strong>—this historical marker identifies the precise timing: 609 BC, when Jehoiakim ascended after Pharaoh Necho deposed his brother Jehoahaz. The Hebrew <em>reshit</em> (רֵאשִׁית, beginning) indicates the opening phase of Jehoiakim's eleven-year reign (609-598 BC). Jehoiakim was an un...
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XXVI.
(1) **In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim.—**The section which follows is among the earlier fragments of the book, some three years before that of the preceding chapter. It will be noted that there is no mention of the Chaldaeans, and that Jehoiakim is on friendly terms with Egypt (Jeremiah 26:22). This points to the very earliest period of his reign. The chapter that follows, though ...
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**10. grope--**fulfilling Moses' threat (De 28:29).
**stumble at noon ... as ... night--**There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity.
**in desolate places--**rather, to suit the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile (literally, "fat"; Ge 27:28) fields [Gesenius] (where all is promising) we are like the ...
Read full commentary →Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah</strong>—God commands Jeremiah to position himself in the temple courts, the central gathering place during pilgrimage festivals. The Hebrew <em>amad</em> (עָמַד, stand) suggests taking a firm, public stance, not hiding or equivocating. The audience includes <strong>all the cities of Judah, which come to worship...
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(2) **Stand in the court of the Lord’s house.**—The occasion was probably one of the Feasts, and drew worshippers from all parts of the kingdom. As in Jeremiah 7:1, the prophet had to stand in the crowded court of the Temple and utter his warning. Some critics have supposed, indeed, that in Jeremiah 7-11 we have the full text of the discourse, while here there is only an epitome of the discourse i...
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**11. roar--**moan plaintively, like a hungry bear which growls for food.
**doves--**(Is 38:14; Eze 7:16).
**salvation--**retribution in kind: because not salvation, but "destruction" was "in their paths" (Is 59:7).
If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's willingness to relent from judgment upon repentance reveals His mercy as primary motivation. The phrase 'If so be they will hearken' shows judgment is not God's desire but His response to persistent rebellion. Divine immutability doesn't mean God's actions never change; it means His character and purposes remain constant while His dealings with people respond to their choices. This reflects ...
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(3) **If so be they will hearken . . .**—The threat that follows in Jeremiah 26:6 is a very terrible one, but it is uttered in order that it may *not *be realised. So in the same spirit St. Paul warns men of his power to inflict a supernatural punishment, yet prays that he may have no occasion to use it (2Corinthians 13:3-10).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. (Da 9:5, &c.).
**thee ... us--**antithesis.
**with us--**that is, we are conscious of them (Job 12:3, Margin; Job 15:9).
**know--**acknowledge they are our iniquities.
And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you</strong>—the message begins with a conditional warning. <em>Shama'</em> (שָׁמַע, hearken) means not merely to hear but to heed and obey. <strong>To walk in my law</strong> uses <em>halak</em> (הָלַךְ, walk) plus <em>torah</em> (תּוֹרָה, law/instruction), emphasizi...
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(4, 5) **To walk in my law, which I have set before you.**—The words present more vividly than in the parallels of Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 25:4 the relation of the Law as the groundwork of the teaching of the Prophets, their office being that of preachers and expounders, making men feel that the commandment was “exceeding broad.” The “Law and the Prophets” are already coupled together, as in Matth...
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13. The particulars of the sins generally confessed in Is 59:12 (Is 48:8; Jr 2:19, 20). The act, the word, and the thought of apostasy, are all here marked: transgression and departing, &c.; lying (compare Is 59:4), and speaking, &c.; conceiving and uttering from the heart.
To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you</strong>—God identifies the prophets as <em>avadai</em> (עֲבָדַי, my servants), emphasizing their divine commission. They speak not their own messages but God's word. The phrase <strong>whom I sent</strong> (<em>asher shalakhti</em>, אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַחְתִּי) underscores divine initiative—God actively dispatched these mess...
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14. Justice and righteousness are put away from our legal courts.
**in the street--**in the forum, the place of judicature, usually at the gate of the city (Zec 8:16).
**cannot enter--**is shut out from the forum, or courts of justice.
Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then will I make this house like Shiloh</strong>—the threat references Israel's earlier central sanctuary at Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood during the judges' period. After Israel's corrupt priesthood under Eli's sons (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25) and their superstitious use of the ark as a good-luck charm (1 Samuel 4:3-11), God allowed the Philistines to destroy Shiloh (Psalm 78:60-64, Je...
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(6) **I will make this house like Shiloh.**—See Notes on Jeremiah 7:14. The surprise and anger with which the announcement was received indicate that it was now heard for the first time, and so far confirms the view that we have here a summary of the discourse given *in extenso, *and probably edited, as it were, with many additions, in Jeremiah 7-10
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. faileth--**is not to be found.
**he that departeth ... prey--**He that will not fall in with the prevailing iniquity exposes himself as a prey to the wicked (Psa 10:8, 9).
**Lord saw it--**The iniquity of Israel, so desperate as to require nothing short of Jehovah's interposition to mend it, typifies the same necessity for a Divine Mediator existing in the deep corruption of man; Israel,...
Read full commentary →So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD</strong>—the verse identifies three groups who heard Jeremiah's sermon: religious professionals (priests and prophets) and the general populace. All witnessed his message in the temple courts, the most public and sacred space in the nation. The Hebrew <em>shama'</em> (שָׁמַע, hea...
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(7) **The priests and the prophets.**—The mention of the latter is significant. Jeremiah had to separate himself from both the orders to which he belonged, in the one case, by birth, in the other, by a special vocation. His bitterest foes were found among those who claimed to speak as he did, in the name of the Lord, but who tuned their voice according to the time, and prophesied deceits. See Note...
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**16. no man--**namely, to atone by his righteousness for the unrighteousness of the people. "Man" is emphatic, as in 1Ki 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the cause of fallen men (Is 41:28; 63:5, 6; Jr 5:1; Eze 22:30).
**no intercessor--**no one to interpose, "to help ... uphold" (Is 63:5).
**his arm--**(Is 40:10; 51:5). Not man's arm, but His alone (Psa 98:1; 44:3).
**his righteo...
Read full commentary →Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.
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KJV Study Commentary
The priests, prophets, and people seized Jeremiah, demanding death: 'Thou shalt surely die.' Speaking God's word against Jerusalem's sin provoked violent opposition. Religious leaders, who should have received prophetic correction, instead led the persecution. This foreshadows Christ's treatment by religious authorities (John 11:53) and warns that institutional religion can oppose God's truth.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Thou shalt surely die.**—Better, as expressing the Hebrew emphasis of reduplication, *Thou shalt die the death. *The phrase is the same as in Genesis 2:17. The threat of the men of Anathoth (Jeremiah 11:21) is repeated by the priests and prophets of Jerusalem. They look on Jeremiah as one who has incurred the condemnation of Deuteronomy 18:20.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. Messiah is represented as a warrior armed at all points, going forth to vindicate His people. Owing to the unity of Christ and His people, their armor is like His, except that they have no "garments of vengeance" (which is God's prerogative, Ro 12:19), or "cloak of zeal" (in the sense of judicial fury punishing the wicked; this zeal belongs properly to God, 2Ki 10:16; Ro 10:2; Php 3:6; "zeal,"...
Read full commentary →Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh</strong>—Jeremiah's sermon (delivered at the temple gate) invoked Shiloh's destruction as typology for Jerusalem's fate. Shiloh (שִׁלוֹ) was Israel's first worship center where the tabernacle stood (Joshua 18:1), but God abandoned it due to Israel's sin (Psalm 78:60; Jeremiah 7:12-14). Archaeological ...
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(9) **Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord . . .?**—The threat that the house in which they gloried should be as the old sanctuary of Ephraim, over whose fall they had exulted, was as the last drop that made the cup of wrath and bitterness run over. They had chanted their psalms, which told how that God “forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, even the tent which He had pitched among men” (P...
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**18. deeds--**Hebrew, "recompenses"; "according as their deeds demand" [Maurer]. This verse predicts the judgments at the Lord's second coming, which shall precede the final redemption of His people (Is 66:18, 15, 16).
**islands--**(See on Is 41:1). Distant countries.
When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house. in the: or, at the door
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD</strong>—The שָׂרִים (sarim, princes/officials) functioned as royal administrators and judicial authorities. Their arrival from the king's house to the temple represents civil authority intervening in religious controversy. The separation of locations—king's house versus LORD's ...
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(10) **When the princes of Judah heard these things . . .**—The princes appear not to have been present when the words were spoken. The report was carried to them as they sat in council with the king, and they came down to the Temple and took their place, to watch and listen what would come next. They went apparently by what was known as the king’s entry into the Temple (2Kings 16:18), the high ga...
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19. (Is 45:6; Mal 1:11). The result of God's judgments (Is 26:9; 66:18-20).
**like a flood--**(Jr 46:7, 8; Re 12:15).
**lift up a standard--**rather, from a different Hebrew root, "shall put him to flight," "drive him away" [Maurer]. Lowth, giving a different sense to the Hebrew for "enemy" from that in Is 59:18, and a forced meaning to the Hebrew for "Spirit of the Lord," translates, "When He...
Read full commentary →Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. This man: Heb. The judgment of death is for this man
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die</strong>—The Hebrew מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת (mishpat-mavet) means 'judgment of death' or capital sentence. The accusers were priests (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) and prophets (נְבִיאִים, nevi'im)—the religious establishment whose authority and livelihood Jeremiah threatened. These were false p...
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(11) **This man is worthy to die.**—Literally, *A judgment of death for this man. *The phrase seems to have been in current forensic use. (See Deuteronomy 19:6; Deuteronomy 21:22.) Among the accusers we may think of Pashur, the son of Immer (Jeremiah 20:1). Personal rancour mingles with the class feeling which animates the whole body of the priesthood. They appeal to what, in later language, would...
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**20. to Zion--**Ro 11:26 quotes it, "out of Zion." Thus Paul, by inspiration, supplements the sense from Psa 14:7: He was, and is come to Zion, first with redemption, being sprung as man out of Zion. The Septuagint translates "for the sake of Zion." Paul applies this verse to the coming restoration of Israel spiritually.
**them that turn from--**(Ro 11:26). "shall turn away ungodliness from Jac...
Read full commentary →Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me</strong>—Jeremiah's defense rests entirely on divine commission. The Hebrew שְׁלָחַנִי יְהוָה (shelachani YHWH, 'the LORD sent me') echoes the prophetic call formula throughout Scripture (Exodus 3:12-15, Isaiah 6:8, Ezekiel 2:3). This claim is either true—making opposition to Jeremiah rebellion against...
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(12) **The Lord sent me to prophesy . . .**—The answer of the accused is that of all true prophets and preachers of the word, “The Lord God hath spoken, and he can but prophesy” (Amos 3:8). He must “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). And in this instance the prophet has nothing in the way of credentials but the message itself. He worked no signs or wonders.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. covenant with them ... thee--**The covenant is with Christ, and with them only as united to Him (He 2:13). Jehovah addresses Messiah the representative and ideal Israel. The literal and spiritual Israel are His seed, to whom the promise is to be fulfilled (Psa 22:30).
**spirit ... not depart ... for ever--**(Jr 31:31-37; Mt 28:20).
Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah calls the people to 'amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God.' This represents genuine repentance - not merely feeling sorry but changing behavior. The promise 'the LORD will repent him of the evil' shows God's readiness to show mercy upon repentance. But repentance must be real, not superficial.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Therefore now amend your ways . . .—**The prophet’s *apologia *consists in repeating the substance of his message. He had not denounced an irreversible doom. He had held out the assurance of pardon on repentance. He had threatened only to bring about repentance. The whole history reminds us of the accusation brought against One greater than Jeremiah. He had foretold a destruction of the Sec...
Read full commentary →As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. as: Heb. as it is good and right in your eyes
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As for me, behold, I am in your hand</strong>—Jeremiah's submission to human authority demonstrates prophetic courage without presumption. The phrase בְּיֶדְכֶם אָנֹכִי (beyadkhem anokhi, 'in your hand I am') acknowledges the princes' legal authority to render judgment. Jeremiah doesn't claim special immunity from due process or threat divine retribution if harmed. He speaks God's word fai...
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(14) **As for me, behold . . .**—Literally, *And I*, *behold, I am in your hands; *and for “as seemeth good and meet unto you,” read *in your eyes. *The prophet feels himself powerless in the presence of his accusers and judges, and can but appeal to the Judge of all.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 60 Is 60:1-22. Israel's Glory after Her Affliction.
An ode of congratulation to Zion on her restoration at the Lord's second advent to her true position as the mother church from which the Gospel is to be diffused to the whole Gentile world; the first promulgation of the Gospel among the Gentiles, beginning at Jerusalem [Lu 24:47], is an earnest of this. The language is too glorious to a...
Read full commentary →But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's courageous stand exemplifies prophetic faithfulness - he declares truth despite threats to his life. The phrase 'The LORD sent me' authenticates his message; rejection of God's messenger equals rejection of God Himself. Jeremiah warns that killing him would bring blood guilt upon the city, adding to their sins. This foreshadows Christ's words about Jerusalem killing the prophets (Matt 2...
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(15) **But know ye for certain.**—Literally, with the Hebrew emphasis of reduplication, *Knowing, know ye. *The appeal is addressed, it will be remembered, to the lay judges, the princes, and the people, not to the priests and prophets who accused him. He believes that they at least would shrink from shedding innocent blood. And he solemnly protests that he is innocent of any wilful attack upon wh...
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**2. darkness ... earth--**the rest of the earth: in contrast with "light ... upon thee" (Is 60:1). The earth will be afterwards enlightened through Israel (Is 9:2).
**be seen--**conspicuously: so the Hebrew.
Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die</strong>—Remarkably, the verdict reverses the accusers' demand. The princes (שָׂרִים, sarim) and people, having heard Jeremiah's defense, acquit him. The phrase אֵין־לָאִישׁ הַזֶּה מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת (ein-laish hazeh mishpat-mavet, 'there is not for this man judgment of death') legally...
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(16) **This man is not worthy to die.**—Literally, as before in Jeremiah 26:11, *There is no judgment of death for this man. *Here again the later parallel comes unbidden to our memory. The lay-rulers are in favour of the true prophet, whom the priests and false prophets would have condemned. Pilate declares, in presence of priests and scribes, and the clamouring multitude, “I find no fault in thi...
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3. (Is 2:3; 11:10; 43:6; 49:22; 66:12).
**kings--**(Is 49:7, 23; 52:15).
**thy rising--**rather, "thy sun-rising," that is, "to the brightness that riseth upon thee."
Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then rose up certain of the elders of the land</strong>—The זְקֵנִים (zekenim, elders) were respected leaders whose age and experience gave them moral authority. Their intervention at this critical juncture provides legal and historical precedent to support Jeremiah's acquittal. Their spontaneous defense suggests God providentially placed sympathetic voices in the assembly to preserve His ...
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(17) **Certain of the elders of the land.**—The word is probably to be taken rather in the literal than in an official sense—or, if officially, then as including the literal meaning also. The elders speaking in the time of Jehoiakim (cir. B.C. 608) remembered the tradition of what had passed, a century or so before, in the reign of Hezekiah (B.C. 726-698), and could appeal to it as a precedent in ...
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**4. Lift up ... eyes--**Jerusalem is addressed as a female with eyes cast down from grief.
**all they ... they--**The Gentile peoples come together to bring back the dispersed Hebrews, restore their city, and worship Jehovah with offerings.
**nursed at thy side--**rather "carried at thy side." It is the custom in the East to carry the children astride on the hip, with the arms around the body...
Read full commentary →Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah</strong>—The elders cite Micah (מִיכָה הַמּוֹרַשְׁתִּי, Mikah HaMorashti) as historical precedent. Micah, from Moresheth-gath in Judah's lowlands, ministered during Hezekiah's reign (715-686 BC), approximately 100 years before Jeremiah's trial. The appeal to respected prophetic tradition demonstrates that Jeremiah's mess...
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(18) **Micah the Morasthite.**—On the general history and work of this prophet, see *Introduction to Micah. *The Hebrew text gives Micaiah, the two forms being (as in Judges 17:1; Judges 17:4, compared with 5, 12), in the Hebrew interchangeable. The epithet indicated his birth in Moresheth-gath in Philistia (Micah 1:14). As Micah had prophesied under Jotham and Ahaz (Micah 1:1), the prediction her...
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**5. see--**(Is 60:4), namely, the bringing back of thy sons.
**flow together--**rather, "overflow with joy" [Lowth]; or, from a different Hebrew root, "be bright with joy" [Gesenius] (Job 3:4).
**fear--**rather, beat with the agitation of solemn joy at the marvellous sight [Horsley] (Jr 33:9).
**be enlarged--**swell with delight. Grief, on the contrary, contracts the heart.
**abundance of...
Read full commentary →Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD , and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls. the LORD, and the: Heb. the face of the LORD, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
The elders recall how King Hezekiah responded to Micah's prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction - he 'feared the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil.' This historical precedent argues for Jeremiah's life. Godly fear of God's word leads to repentance, which may avert judgment. This contrasts with current leaders who want to kill the prophet rather than heed his message.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Did Hezekiah . . . put him at all to death?**—Literally, *make him die the death, *the same phrase as in Jeremiah 26:8. There is no special record of the repentance thus referred to, but it is quite in accord with Hezekiah’s general character, as seen in 2Chronicles 29:6-10 (which may be the occasion referred to) and 2Chronicles 32:26. The whole tone of the advice of “old experience,” appro...
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**6. camels--**laden with merchandise; the camel is "the ship of the desert" (compare Is 30:6).
**cover thee--**so many of them shall there be.
**dromedaries--**They have one hunch on the back, whereas the camel has two: distinguished for swiftness (Jr 2:23).
**Midian--**east of the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea, and stretching northward along Mount Seir. Associated with the Ishmaelites in ...
Read full commentary →And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim</strong> (אוּרִיָּהוּ בֶן־שְׁמַעְיָהוּ מִקִּרְיַת הַיְּעָרִים, <em>uriyyahu ven-sh'ma'yahu miqqiryat hay'arim</em>)—Urijah (meaning 'Yahweh is my light') prophesied messages identical to Jeremiah's: <strong>who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all th...
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(20) **And there was also a man that prophesied . . .**—The verses that follow, seeing that they state a fact which tends in the opposite direction, cannot be regarded as part of the argument of the “elders” of Jeremiah 26:17. Nor is there any sufficient reason for supposing, in the absence of any statement to that effect, that the case of Urijah was alleged in a counter-argument by the priests an...
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**7. Kedar--**(Is 21:16; So 1:5), in the south of Arabia-Deserta, or north of Arabia-Petræa; they traded in flocks (Eze 27:21).
**Nebaioth--**son of Ishmael, as was Kedar. Father of the Nabatheans in Arabia-Petræa.
**minister--**by coming up as an acceptable sacrifice.
**come up with acceptance--**that is, acceptably. The rams offering themselves voluntarily (Psa 68:30; Ro 12:1; 1Pe 2:5), wi...
Read full commentary →And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death</strong> (וַיְבַקֵּשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲמִיתוֹ, <em>vay'vaqqesh hammelekh hamito</em>)—the verb בָּקַשׁ (<em>baqash</em>, 'seek') with מוּת (<em>mut</em>, 'to kill') indicates deliberate intent to execute. <strong>But when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and w...
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(21) **And when Jehoiakim the king . . .**—The fact that the princes of Judah, who defended Jeremiah, were against Urijah, suggests the inference either that his words were more vehemently denunciatory, or that he was less fortunate in finding a personal friend and protector like Ahikam. The flight into Egypt presents a parallel to that of Jeroboam 1Kings 11:40), Hadad (1Kings 11:18), and Joseph a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. The prophet, seeing in vision new hosts approaching quickly like a cloud of doves, asks who they are.
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt</strong> (וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹיָקִים אֲנָשִׁים מִצְרָיִם, <em>vayyishlach hammelekh y'hoyaqim anashim mitsrayim</em>)—the verb שָׁלַח (<em>shalach</em>, 'send') shows determined pursuit. Elnathan (אֶלְנָתָן, 'God has given') ironically serves ungodly purposes. He was i...
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(22) **And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt.**—It will be remembered that the king had been appointed by Pharaoh-necho, and rested therefore on his alliance. Elnathan, the envoy employed on this mission, was the king’s father-in-law (2Kings 24:8). His father, Achbor, had taken a prominent part, together with Shaphan, the father of Ahikam, in the work of reformation under Josiah, and was sent...
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9. (see on Is 42:4).
**Tarshish first--**The ships of Tartessus (see on Is 2:16; Is 23:1, that is, vessels that trade to the most distant regions) will be among the foremost to bring back the scattered Israelites (Is 66:20).
**their silver--**The nations among whom the Jews have been scattered shall help them with their money in returning (Is 60:5-7, 11, 16), as was the case at the return from...
Read full commentary →And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. common: Heb. sons of the people
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people</strong> (וַיַּךְ אֹתוֹ בַּחֶרֶב וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אֶת־נִבְלָתוֹ אֶל־קִבְרֵי בְּנֵי הָעָם, <em>vayyakh oto vacherev vayyashlekh et-nivlato el-qivrei v'nei ha'am</em>). The execution (נָכָה בַּחֶרֶב, <em>nakah vacherev</em>,...
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(23) **And they fetched forth Urijah out of** **Egypt.**—The martyr-death of the prophet had its parallels in the earlier history of Judah. So Jezebel had slain the prophets of Jehovah with the edge of the sword (1Kings 18:4; 1Kings 19:10; 1Kings 19:14), and Zechariah the son of Jehoiada had been stoned to death at the command of Joash (2Chronicles 24:21), and Isaiah, as the Jewish tradition runs,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. kings ... minister unto thee--**(See on Is 60:7; Is 49:23).
**in my wrath I smote thee--**(Is 54:7, 8; 57:17).
Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death</strong> (אַךְ יַד אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן הָיְתָה אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת־אֹתוֹ בְּיַד־הָעָם לַהֲמִיתוֹ, <em>akh yad achiqam ben-shafan hay'tah et-yirm'yahu l'vilti tet-oto v'yad-ha'am lahamito</em>). Ahikam (אֲחִיקָם, 'my brother has ris...
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(24) **Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam . . .**—The family to whom the prophet’s protector belonged played a conspicuous part in the history of this period, and may be said to have furnished examples of three generations of Jewish patriotism. Shaphan, the father, was prominent as a scribe in the reformation of Josiah (cir. A.D. 624). He superintended the restoration of the Temple (2Chronicles 34:8)...
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11. (Re 21:25). The gates are ever open to receive new offerings and converts (Is 26:2; Ac 14:27; Re 3:8). In time of peace the gates of a city are open: so, under the Prince of peace, there shall be no need of barring gates against invaders.
**forces--**riches.
**be brought--**as willing captives to the truth; or, if not willingly, be bought by judgments to submit to Israel (Is 60:12, 14). Ge...
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