Jeremiah 32:4

32:1-15 Jeremiah, being in prison for his prophecy, purchased a piece of ground. This was to signify, that though Jerusalem was besieged, and the whole country likely to be laid waste, yet the time would come, when houses, and fields, and vineyards, should be again possessed. It concerns ministers to make it appear that they believe what they preach to others. And it is good to manage even our worldly affairs in faith; to do common business with reference to the providence and promise of God.

And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans,.... This is a continuation of the prophecy of Jeremiah, repeated by the king to him, and which concerns himself more especially; who, upon the taking of the city, would endeavour to make his escape, as he did; but should not be able, Jeremiah 52:8 ; but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon; not only into the hands of his army, and of his generals, but into his own hand personally; since it follows: and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; converse together face to face, eye to eye; but no doubt with different tones and looks; the king of Babylon upbraiding the king of Judah with perjury and ingratitude, and looking upon him with indignation and contempt; the other speaking faintly, and looking down with grief, shame, and confusion; moreover, the eyes of the king of Babylon beheld the eyes of Zedekiah, and ordered them to be put out, as they were, 2 Kings 25:7.

The time and the circumstances of the following message from God. - The message came to Jeremiah in the tenth year of Zedekiah, i.e., in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar (cf. Jeremiah 25:1 and Jeremiah 52:12 ), when the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was kept in confinement in the fore-court of the royal palace. These historical data are inserted ( Jeremiah 32:2-5 ) in the form of circumstantial clauses: 'ואז חיל וגו, "for at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem." The siege had begun in the ninth year of Zedekiah ( Jeremiah 39:1 ; Jeremiah 52:4 ), and was afterwards raised for a short time, in consequence of the approach of an auxiliary corps of Egyptians; but, as soon as these had been defeated, it was resumed ( Jeremiah 37:5 , Jeremiah 37:11 ). Jeremiah was then kept confined in the court of the prison of the royal palace (cf. Nehemiah 3:25 ), "where Zedekiah, king of Judah, had imprisoned him, saying: Why dost thou prophesy, 'Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, so that he shall take it; Jeremiah 32:4 . And Zedekiah, the king of Judah, shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall assuredly be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with his mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; Jeremiah 32:5 . And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord.

Though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not succeed?'" - We have already found an utterance of like import in Jeremiah 21:1-14 , but that is not here referred to; for it was fulfilled at the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, and did not bring on Jeremiah the consequences mentioned here. From Jeremiah 37 we learn that Jeremiah, during the siege of Jerusalem, on till the time when it was raised through the approach of the Egyptian army, had not been imprisoned, but went freely in and out among the people ( Jeremiah 37:4 .). Not till during the temporary raising of the siege, when he wanted to go out of the city into the land of Benjamin, was he seized and thrown into a dungeon, on the pretence that he intended to go over to the Chaldeans. There he remained many days, till King Zedekiah ordered him to be brought, and questioned him privately as to the issue of the conflict; when Jeremiah replied, "Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon." On this occasion Jeremiah complained to the king of his imprisonment, and requested that he might not be sent back into the dungeon, where he must soon perish; the king then ordered him ( Jeremiah 37:11-21 ) to be taken into the court of the prison-house (חצר , Jeremiah 37:21 ), where he remained in confinement till the city was taken ( Jeremiah 38:13 , Jeremiah 38:28 ; Jeremiah 39:14 ).

Marvellous obstinacy, that at the time when they were experiencing the truth of Jeremiah's words in the pressure of the siege, they should still keep the prophet in confinement [C ALVIN ]. The circumstances narrated (Jeremiah 32:3-5) occurred at the beginning of the siege, when Jeremiah foretold the capture of the city (Jeremiah 32:1; Jeremiah 34:1-7; 39:1). He was at that time put into free custody in the ## court of the prison. At the raising of the siege by Pharaoh-hophra, Jeremiah was on the point of repairing to Benjamin, when he was cast into "the dungeon," but obtained leave to be removed again to the court of the prison (Jeremiah 37:12-21). When there he urged the Jews, on the second advance of the Chaldeans to the siege, to save themselves by submission to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 38:2, 3); in consequence of this the king, at the instigation of the princes, had him cast into a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 38:4-6); again he was removed to the prison court at the intercession of a courtier (Jeremiah 32:7-13), where he remained till the capture of the city (Jeremiah 32:28), when he was liberated (Jeremiah 39:11, &c.; Jeremiah 40:1, &c.). 4. his eyes shall behold his eyes —that is, only before reaching Babylon, which he was not to see. Jeremiah 39:6, 7 harmonizes this prophecy (Jeremiah 32:4) with the seemingly opposite prophecy, Ezekiel 12:13, "He shall not see. " 5.

6 . The guilt is the greater, because Israel had been warned, but had not listened to the warning. neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets ] A reminiscence of Jeremiah 26:5 ; cf. Jeremiah 7:25 ; Jeremiah 25:4 ; Jeremiah 29:19 ; Jeremiah 35:15 ; Jeremiah 44:4 (all containing the expression ‘my servants the prophets,’ followed by ‘and ye ( or they) hearkened not’). to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land ] The same combination in Jeremiah 44:21 ; cf. ‘our fathers, our kings, and our princes,’ Jeremiah 44:17 : comp. Nehemiah 9:32 ; Nehemiah 9:34 .