Jeremiah 35:23

. Eutrop. Hist. Rom. l. 6. {f} Ut supra. (Chronic. Secil. 18. p. 568.) {g} Ut supra, (Travels, &c.) p. 288. {h} De Ponder & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4. {i} Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 4. p. 21. {k} Odyss. 9. ver. 258. & Odyss. 24. ver. 321. 2 Kings 23:34 Ver. 34. And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father,.... Not in the room of Jehoahaz; for he did not allow him to be a king, and to have any lawful right to the throne; but, deposing him, set up his elder brother: and turned his name to Jehoiakim; to show his subjection to him, and that he held his government by him: and took Jehoahaz away: with him, from Jerusalem, when he departed thence: and he came to Egypt, and died there: and never returned to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 22:11. 2 Kings 23:35 Ver. 35. And Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh,....

In the latter sense sôd occurs in two passages illustrating the present one, Jeremiah 23:18 ; Jeremiah 23:22 , where Jeremiah implies that the true prophets have access to the “council” of Jehovah, and preach the principles which are there approved (cf. Job 15:8 , R.V. marg. ; also Psalm 89:7 ). his servants the prophets ] An expression otherwise used chiefly by writers of the age of Jeremiah ( 2 Kings 17:13 ; 2 Kings 17:23 ; 2 Kings 21:10 ; 2 Kings 24:2 ; Jeremiah 7:25 ; Jeremiah 25:4 ; Jeremiah 26:5 ; Jeremiah 29:19 ; Jeremiah 35:15 ; Ezekiel 38:17 ; also Zechariah 1:6 ; Daniel 9:10 ).

2 . Jehovah’s indignation is aroused; and He swears (cf. Amos 6:8 , Amos 8:7 ), that retribution will overtake them for such selfishness and cruelty. hath sworn by his holiness ] God’s holiness is made the pledge of the validity of the oath: so Psalm 89:35 ; cf. Jeremiah 44:26 . behold, days are coming &c.] The expression implies a sudden and unexpected reversal of what at present prevails: it occurs besides, Amos 8:11 , Amos 9:13 ; 1 Samuel 2:31 ; 2 Kings 20:17 (= Isaiah 39:6 ), and fifteen times in Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 7:32 ; Jeremiah 9:24 ; Jeremiah 16:14 ; Jeremiah 19:6 ; Jeremiah 23:5 ; Jeremiah 23:7 ; Jeremiah 30:3 , &c.). he will take you away with hooks &c.] rather, ye shall be taken &c. The image is one partly of ignominy, partly of helplessness. The women of Samaria are no longer like fat cattle, proudly disdainful of all who may approach them: they are dragged violently by the foe out of the ease and luxury of their palaces, like fishes out of their native element, the water. your posterity ] your residue (R.V.),—any of you who happen to escape the ‘hooks’ of the preceding clause. It is a total destruction which the prophet contemplates.

Rather, "they delude you with vain promises of security" (Jeremiah 23:17; compare Psalms 62:10) [M AURER ]. of their own heart —of their own invention (Jeremiah 23:21; Jeremiah 14:14). 17. say still — Hebrew, "say in saying," that is, say incessantly. peace —(Jeremiah 6:14; Ezekiel 13:10; Zechariah 10:2). imagination — Hebrew, "obstinacy." no evil —(Micah 3:11). 18. A reason is given why the false prophets should not be heeded: They have not stood in the counsels of Jehovah (an image from ministers present in a standing posture at councils of Eastern kings) (compare Jeremiah 23:22; Job 15:8). The spiritual man alone has the privilege (Genesis 18:17; Psalms 25:14; Amos 3:7; John 15:15; 1 Corinthians 2:16). 19. So far from all prosperity awaiting the people as the false prophets say (Jeremiah 23:17), wrath is in store for them. grievous —literally, "eddying," whirling itself about, a tornado. In Jeremiah 30:23, "continuing" is substituted for "grievous." fall grievously —it shall be hurled on. 20. in … latter days —that is, "the year of their visitation" (Jeremiah 23:12). Primarily the meaning is: the Jews will not "consider" now God's warnings (Deuteronomy 32:29); but when the prophecies shall be fulfilled in their Babylonish exile, they will consider and see, by bitter experience, their sinful folly. The ultimate scope of the prophecy is: the Jews, in their final dispersion, shall at last "consider" their sin and turn to Messiah "perfectly" (Hosea 3:5; Zechariah 12:5, 10-14; Luke 13:35). 21.

8 . But thou, thyself , shalt , etc.] The emphatic thou is necessary after the intrusion of the previous v . return ] If this be meant in a spiritual sense, the like does not elsewhere occur in Deut.; but is found in Isaiah 10:21 ; Isaiah 19:22 , Jeremiah 3:1 ; Jeremiah 3:7 ; Jeremiah 3:12 ; Jeremiah 3:22 ; Jeremiah 4:1 ; Jeremiah 15:19 ; Jeremiah 18:11 (= Jeremiah 35:15 ), Jeremiah 23:14 , Jeremiah 24:7 , Jeremiah 36:3 , Ezekiel 18:23 , etc. For the rest of this v erse see above Deuteronomy 15:5 , Deuteronomy 28:1 ; Deuteronomy 28:15 .

lse prophets, and corrupt priests, not loving to hear their doom, would ordinarily mock at the true prophets; and in derision ask them what was the burden of the Lord ? what in news they had for them next? God bids the prophet tell them that God would forsake them, either as to the Spirit of prophecy, they should have no more prophets, or (which is more probable) as to his special providence, by which he had watched over, protected, and hitherto defended them; a burden heavy enough, Hos_9:12. Jeremiah 23:34 That is, that shall in derision say thus, mocking at my threatenings and judgments. I will not only punish him, but his whole family. Jeremiah 23:35 I will have you speak more reverently of me and my word to my prophets. ## Jeremiah 23:36 The burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more; not in scorn and derision, as not believing there were any such judgments as they threaten; nor hardly, as if I sent yon no other messages but burdens. These false and irreverent speeches, which are in every man’s mouth, shall be burdensome to them, being such as shall bring down Divine vengeance upon them; because you have derided or misinterpreted the words of God, the living God ; the sin of which is the more aggravated against you, because he is the living, mighty God, and because he hath been our God. ## Jeremiah 23:37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet; to my true prophet. You shall speak to them reverently, and as becometh you.

14 . The women bewailing Tammuz 14 . gate of the Lord’s house ] i.e. outside the whole temple buildings to the north gate of the outer court; cf. ch. Ezekiel 10:19 , Ezekiel 11:1 . The term “house” embraces all the temple buildings ( Jeremiah 35:4 ). The women may have been seen sitting outside the gate, or they may have been in some of the chambers of the outer gateway. Of course the temple building in Ezekiel’s time did not quite correspond to his ideal sketch in ch. 40 seq., but there were no doubt chambers at that time connected with both gateways ( Jeremiah 35:2 ; Jeremiah 35:4 ; Jeremiah 36:10 ; Jeremiah 36:12 ; Jeremiah 36:20-21 ; cf. Jeremiah 26:10 ; 2 Kings 23:11 ). Tammuz is identical with Adonis. The latter name, Adon , “Lord,” is not a proper name, being applicable to any great god, but when the myth found its way to Greece, the word became a proper name. The name Tammuz is Babylonian Dumu-zi, Dûzi, said to signify “son of life,” and to indicate the eternal youth of the sun-god (cf. Fried. Del. in Baer’s Ezek .; Schrader, KAT . on Ezekiel 8:14 ; Sayce, Hibbert Lect . IV). The story of the death of Tammuz is said to be a solar myth, having reference to the death of the sun-god. The explanations given by Assyrian scholars are not very clear.

29 . came into thy mind] lit. came up ,—the corresponding Heb. word followed by ‘upon the heart,’ being a Heb. idiom for occur to, be thought of by: cf. 2Es 3:1 ; and see Isaiah 65:17 ; Jeremiah 3:16 ; Jeremiah 7:31 ; Jeremiah 19:5 ; Jeremiah 32:35 ; Jeremiah 44:21 ; Jeremiah 51:50 ; Acts 7:23 . The king, as he lay awake at night, was meditating on the future, speculating, it may be, upon the future destinies of his kingdom, or the success of his projects for the beautification of his capital; and the dream, it seems to be implied, was the form into which, under Providence, his thoughts gradually shaped themselves. In a dream, the images and impressions, which the mind, while in a waking state, has received, are recombined into new, and often fantastic forms; in the present case, a colossal and strangely constructed statue was the form which the recombination ultimately produced.

The name עשׂיה, moreover, is not unfrequent, and occurs in 1 Chronicles 4:36 among the Simeonites; in 1 Chronicles 6:15 ; 1 Chronicles 15:6 , 1 Chronicles 15:11 , among the Levites; in 2 Kings 22:12 , 2 Kings 22:14 and 2 Chronicles 34:20 , as עבד of the King Josiah. מעשׁיה is the name of many persons, e.g., in 1 Chronicles 15:18 , 1 Chronicles 15:20 , and likewise in 2 Chronicles 23:1 ; Jeremiah 21:1 ; Jeremiah 29:21 ; Jeremiah 35:4 ; and elsewhere it is used of men of other tribes: so that even should Maaseiah have been written instead of Asaiah merely by an error of transcription, we are not warranted in identifying our Asaiah with the Maaseiah of Nehemiah.