Jeremiah 24:15

[Bible] Jeremias Chapter 24 Under the type of good and bad figs, he foretells the restoration of the Jews that had been carried away captive with Jechonias, and the desolation of those that were left behind. 24:1. The Lord shewed me: and behold two baskets full of figs, set before the temple of the Lord: after that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away Jechonias the son of Joakim the king of Juda, and his chief men, and the craftsmen, and engravers of Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 24:2. One basket had very good figs, like the figs of the first season: and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, because they were bad. 24:3. And the Lord said to me: What seest thou, Jeremias? And I said: Figs, the good figs, very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten because they are bad. 24:4. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 24:5. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Juda, whom I have sent forth out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for their good. 24:6. And I will set my eyes upon them to be pacified, and I will bring them again into this land: and I will build them up, and not pull them down: and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 24:7. And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: because they shall return to me with their whole heart. 24:8. And as the very bad figs, that cannot be eaten, because they are bad: thus saith the Lord: So will I give Sedecias the king of Juda, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that have remained in this city, and that dwell in the land of Egypt. 24:9. And I will deliver them up to vexation, and affliction, to all the kingdoms of the earth: to be a reproach, and a byword, and a proverb, and to be a curse in all places, to which I have cast them out.

Defeat in battle, the very opposite of the blessing promised in Deuteronomy 28:7 . Israel should become לזעוה, "a moving to and fro," i.e., so to speak, "a ball for all the kingdoms of the earth to play with" (Schultz). זעוה, here and at Ezekiel 23:46 , is not a transposed and later form of זועה, which has a different meaning in Isaiah 28:19 , but the original uncontracted form, which was afterwards condensed into זועה; for this, and not זועה, is the way in which the Chethib should be read in Jeremiah 15:4 ; Jeremiah 24:9 ; Jeremiah 29:18 ; Jeremiah 34:17 , and 2 Chronicles 29:8 , where this threat is repeated (vid., Ewald, 53, b.). The corpses of those who were slain by the foe should serve as food for the birds of prey and wild beasts - the greatest ignominy that could fall upon the dead, and therefore frequently held out as a threat against the ungodly ( Jeremiah 7:33 ; Jeremiah 16:4 ; 1 Kings 14:11 , etc.).

Defeat in battle, the very opposite of the blessing promised in Deuteronomy 28:7 . Israel should become לזעוה, "a moving to and fro," i.e., so to speak, "a ball for all the kingdoms of the earth to play with" (Schultz). זעוה, here and at Ezekiel 23:46 , is not a transposed and later form of זועה, which has a different meaning in Isaiah 28:19 , but the original uncontracted form, which was afterwards condensed into זועה; for this, and not זועה, is the way in which the Chethib should be read in Jeremiah 15:4 ; Jeremiah 24:9 ; Jeremiah 29:18 ; Jeremiah 34:17 , and 2 Chronicles 29:8 , where this threat is repeated (vid., Ewald, 53, b.). The corpses of those who were slain by the foe should serve as food for the birds of prey and wild beasts - the greatest ignominy that could fall upon the dead, and therefore frequently held out as a threat against the ungodly ( Jeremiah 7:33 ; Jeremiah 16:4 ; 1 Kings 14:11 , etc.).

By מלכּתא interpreters rightly understand the mother of the reigning king, the widow of his father Nebuchadnezzar, since according to Daniel 5:2 . The wives of the king were present at the festival, and the queen came before the king as only a mother could do. Among the Israelites also the mother of the reigning king was held in high respect; cf. 1 Kings 15:13 ; 2 Kings 24:12 , 2 Kings 24:15 ; Jeremiah 13:18 ; Jeremiah 29:2 . מלּין לקבל, by reason of the words, not: because of the affair, to which neither the plur. מלּי nor the gen. רברבנוהי agrees. Instead of the Kethiv עללת the Keri has עלּת, the later form. The queen-mother begins in an assuring manner, since she can give an advice which is fitted to allay the embarrassment.

In such a case reference to the thirtieth year of his age would certainly lose its strangeness, but such a history would be without example, as a prophet’s life always opens with his call. the river of Chebar ] Not to be identified with the Chabor ( 2 Kings 17:6 ) which falls into the Euphrates at Circesium. More probably the Chebar was some stream much further south in Babylonia proper ( 2 Kings 24:15 ; Jeremiah 29:15 ; Jeremiah 29:20 ). heavens were opened ] In his trance the prophet saw the heavens opened ( Ezekiel 1:3 ). visions of God ] Might be visions given by God, or visions in which God was seen. The expression is probably to be taken somewhat generally, as meaning heavenly or divine visions ( Ezekiel 8:3 ).

Verses 25, 26. - Utter defeat in battle (the opposite of the blessing promised, ver. 7) and dispersion among the nations are threatened, with the utmost indignity to those who were slain, in their bodies being left unburied to be devoured by birds of prey and wild beasts (cf. 1 Kings 14:11 ; Psalm 79:2 ; Jeremiah 7:33 ; Jeremiah 16:4 , etc.). S halt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth ; literally, shalt be a tossing to and fro to all the kingdoms , etc.; "a ball for all the kingdoms to play with" (Schultz; cf. 2 Chronicles 29:8 ; Jeremiah 15:4 ; Jeremiah 24:9 ; Jeremiah 29:18 , etc.). Deuteronomy 28:25

The reign of Jehoiachin. Cf. 2 Kings 24:8-17 . - Jehoiachin's age at his accession is here given as eight years, while in 2 Kings 24:8 it is eighteen. It is so also in the lxx and Vulg.; but a few Hebr. codd., Syr., and Arab., and many manuscripts of the lxx, have eighteen years in the Chronicle also. The number eight is clearly an orthographical error, as Thenius also acknowledges. Bertheau, on the contrary, regards the eight of our text as the original, and the number eighteen in 2 Kings s an alteration occasioned by the idea that eighteen years appeared a more fitting age for a king than eight years, and gives as his reason, "that the king's mother is named along with him, and manifestly with design, 2 Kings 24:12 , 2 Kings 24:15 , and Jeremiah 22:26 , whence we must conclude that she had the guardianship of the young king." A perfectly worthless reason. In the books of Kings the name of the mother is given in the case of all the kings after their accession has been mentioned, without any reference to the age of the kings, because the queen-mother occupied a conspicuous position in the kingdom. It is so in the case of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 23:36 and 2 Kings 24:8 . On account of her high position, the queen-mother is mentioned in 2 Kings 24:12 and 2 Kings 24:15 , and in Jeremiah, among those who submitted to Nebuchadnezzar and were carried away to Babylon.

And Jehovah said unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard for good them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans; and I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, surely, thus saith Jehovah: So will I make Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt. And I will give them over to be driven hither and thither unto all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them; and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. Chapter 25

Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother: What hath Jehovah answered? and, What hath Jehovah spoken? And the burden of Jehovah shall ye mention no more; for every man`s own word shall be his burden: for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of Jehovah of hosts, our God. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: What hath Jehovah answered thee? and, What hath Jehovah spoken? But since ye say, The burden of Jehovah, therefore thus saith Jehovah: Because ye say this word, The burden of Jehovah, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of Jehovah; therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, far from my face, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers. And I will bring everlasting reproach upon you, and everlasting shame, that shall not be forgotten. Chapter 24 Jehovah shewed me, and behold, two baskets of figs, set before the temple of Jehovah, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive from Jerusalem, Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, and the craftsmen and smiths, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, like the figs first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness. And Jehovah said unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,