Jeremiah 6:1

6:1-8 Whatever methods are used, it is vain to contend with God's judgments. The more we indulge in the pleasures of this life, the more we unfit ourselves for the troubles of this life. The Chaldean army shall break in upon the land of Judah, and in a little time devour all. The day is coming, when those careless and secure in sinful ways will be visited. It is folly to trifle when we have eternal salvation to work out, and the enemies of that salvation to fight against. But they were thus eager, not that they might fulfil God's counsels, but that they might fill their own treasures; yet God thereby served his own purposes. The corrupt heart of man, in its natural state, casts out evil thoughts, just as a fountain casts out her waters. It is always flowing, yet always full. The God of mercy is loth to depart even from a provoking people, and is earnest with them, that by repentance and reformation, they may prevent things from coming to extremity.

Jeremiah 6:1 . O ye children of Benjamin, &c. — The prophet proceeds in his remonstrances, rebukes, and faithful warnings to the disobedient Jews. A great part of Jerusalem stood in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:28 ; on which account, and because Jeremiah, being of Anathoth, was of that tribe, and probably lived therein, the inhabitants are here addressed by the name of the children of Benjamin, and are directed to leave the city, which God was about to destroy, and to take refuge in the mountains. Blow the trumpet in Tekoa — One of those cities which Rehoboam built, 2 Chronicles 11:6 , twelve miles from Jerusalem. Set up a sign of fire — A beacon; in Beth-haccerem — A village between Tekoa and Jerusalem, built upon a mountain, situate in the way which led from Chaldea to Jerusalem. As the word signifies the house of the vineyard, it was probably at first some high tower, built among the vineyards, for the keepers of them to watch in, and that it afterward became a village of some note. The design of such signals of war as the prophet here mentions, is generally to assemble men together in order to their mutual defence; but, as he knew it was utterly in vain to attempt any thing of that kind, he seems only to have meant that by these means general notice should be given of the enemies’ approach, that the people might disperse, and escape from danger and destruction. For evil appeareth, &c. — See note on Jeremiah 1:14 . Dr.

Verses 1-8. - Arrival of a hostile army from the north, and summons to flee from the doomed city. Verse 1. - O ye children of Benjamin . The political rank of Jerusalem, as the capital of the kingdom of Judah, makes it difficult to realize that Jerusalem was not locally a city of Judah at all. It belonged, strictly speaking, to the tribe of Benjamin, a tribe whose insignificance, in comparison with Judah, seems to have led to the adoption of a form of expression not literally accurate (see Psalm 128:68). The true state of the case is evident from an examination of the two parallel passages, Joshua 15:7, 8 , and Joshua 18:16, 17. As Mr. Fergusson points out, "The boundary between Judah and Benjamin... ran at the foot of the hill on which the city stands, so that the city itself was actually in Benjamin, while, by crossing the narrow ravine of Hinnom, you set foot on the territory of Judah" (Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible,' 1:983). It is merely a specimen of the unnatural method of early harmonists when Jewish writers tell us that the altars and the sanctuary were in Benjamin, and the courts of the temple in Judah. The words of " the blessing of Moses" are clear ( Deuteronomy 33:12 ): "The beloved of the Lord! he shall dwell in safety by him, sheltering him continually, and between his shoulders he dwelleth;" i . e . Benjamin is specially protected, the sanctuary being on Benjamite soil.

And yet these highly favored "children of Benjamin" are divinely warned to flee from their sacred homes (see Jeremiah 7:4-7 ). Gather yourselves to flee ; more strictly, save your goods by flight . In Jeremiah 4:6 the same advice was given to the inhabitants of the country districts. There, Jerusalem was represented as the only safe refuge; here, the capital being no longer tenable, the wild pasture-land to the south (the foe being expected from the north) becomes the goal of the fugitives of Jerusalem . In Tokoa . Tokoa was a town in the wild hill-county to the south of Judah, the birthplace of the prophet Amos. It is partly mentioned because its name seems to connect it with the verb rendered blow the trumpet . Such paronomasiae are favorite oratorical instruments of the prophets, and especially in connections like the present (comp. Isaiah 10:30 ; Micah 1:10-15 ). A sign of fire in Beth-hakkerem ; rather, a signal on Beth-hakkerem . The rendering of Authorized Version was suggested by Judges 20:38, 40 ; but there is nothing in the present context (as there is in that passage) to favor the view that a fiery beacon is intended. Beth-hakkerem lay, according to St. Jerome, on an eminence between Jerusalem and Tekoa; i . e . probably the hill known as the Frank Mountain, the Arabic name of which ( Djebel el-Furaidis , Little Paradise Mountain) is a not unsuitable equivalent for the Hebrew (Vineyard-house). The "district of Beth-hakkerem" is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:14 .

1 . ye children of Benjamin ] Jeremiah was himself a Benjamite (ch. Jeremiah 1:1 ), and Jerusalem was in Benjamin, the boundary between that tribe and Judah lying in the valley of Hinnom, to the south of the city. and blow … Beth-haccherem ] these two clauses interrupt the Ḳinah measure, and break into the context which deals with Jerusalem only. Hence Du. and Co. (not so Gi.) consider them a later insertion. “Blow the trumpet” and the proper name Tekoa involve a play on words in the Heb. ( tik‘û, tĕkoa‘ ). Tekoa ( Tekû’a ) is about twelve miles S. of Jerusalem, on a hill forming part of the range which stretches from Hebron towards the Dead Sea. St Jerome writing in Palestine speaks of it as daily before his eyes. It was the birthplace of Amos ( Amos 1:1 ), and it or its inhabitants are mentioned on several other occasions. The ruins which are found there, however, are probably all of Christian times. It is in the direction which would be naturally taken by the inhabitants in the event of flight before an invading host from the north. a signal ] Though the Hebrew word has no necessary reference to fire, a word ( Massû’ah ) closely connected with this one is used in later Hebrew to denote the fire lighted to give notice of the appearance of the new moon. The word used here occurs in Jdg 20:38 ; Jdg 20:40 , to denote a pillar of smoke agreed upon as a signal. In this clause also a play on words seems intended between the imperative and its object.

Beth-haccherem ] (House of the vineyard) mentioned elsewhere only in Nehemiah 3:14 , and to be identified in position with a conical-shaped hill called the Frank mountain, between Bethlehem and Tekoa, so named as having been used for military purposes in the Crusades; a very suitable spot for a beacon station.

O ye children of {a} Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in {b} Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in {c} Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction. (a) He speaks to them chiefly because they should take heed by the example of their brethren the other half of their tribe, who were now carried away prisoners. (b) Which was a city in Judah, six miles from Bethlehem, 2Ch 11:6. (c) Read Ne 3:14.

VI. (1) The new discourse, or section of a discourse, deals more locally with the coming desolation of Jerusalem. O ye children of Benjamin.—The city, though claimed as belonging to Judah, was actually on the border of the two tribes, the boundary running through the valley of Ben-Hinnom (Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16), and its northern walls were in that of Benjamin. It was natural that the prophet of Anathoth should think and speak of it as connected with his own people. Blow the trumpet in Tekoa.—i.e., “give the signal for the fugitives to halt, but not till they have reached the southernmost boundary of Judah.” Tekoa was about twelve miles south of Jerusalem (2Chronicles 11:6). The Hebrew presents a play upon the name Tekoa, as nearly identical with its sound is the verb “blow,” and the town is probably mentioned for that reason. The play upon the name is analogous to those that meet us in Micah 1:10-16. Sign of fire.—Better, signal. The word, though applied to a fire or smoke signal in Judges 20:38; Judges 20:40, does not necessarily imply it. Such signals were, however, in common use in all ancient warfare. Beth-haccerem.—i.e., the house of the vineyard, halfway on the road from Jerusalem to Tekoa. There, too, the signal was to be raised that the fugitives might gather round it. Jerome states (Comm. on Jeremiah 6) that it was on a mountain, and was known in his time as Bethacharma.

Jeremiah addresses the men of Benjamin, either as being his own tribesmen, or as a name appropriate to the people of Jerusalem, which also was situate in the tribe of Benjamin. Gather yourselves to flee - Gather your goods together to remove them to a place of safety. Blow the trumpet in Tekoa - The name of Tekoa is almost identical with the verb "to blow": but it was not chosen merely for the alliteration, but because it was the last town in Judaea (about 11 miles south of Jerusalem), upon the very border of the desert, where the fugitives would halt. A sign - Rather, a signal. Beth-haccerem - Or, the "Vineyard-House," which was situated halfway between Jerusalem and Tekoa. Appeareth - "Is bending over;" is bending forward in eagerness to seize its prey.