Jeremias 21
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Jeremias 21
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS Brief outline of messages to Judah's royal house, cf. Jer. 21:11-23:8 Zedekiah (Mattaniah, cf. 2 Kgs. 24:17) ‒ Jer. 21:1-14 Jehoahaz (Shallum, cf. 1 Chr. 3:15) ‒ Jer. 22:10-12 Jehoiakim (Eliakim, cf. 2 Kgs. 23:34) ‒ Jer. 22:13-19 Jehoiakim (Coniah) ‒ Jer. 22:24-30; 37:1 Zedekiah (BDB 843), another of Josiah's sons, was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Neo-Babylon (cf. 2 Kgs. 24:17). He reigned from 597-586 B.C. He was king when Jerusalem fell. He was loyal to Neo-Babylon for eight years. Then a pro-Egyptian nationalist party persuaded him to revolt. See Appendix Four: Kings of the Divided Kingdom. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM This section of Jeremiah is much more clearly linked to its historical settings. The specifics of time place proper names abound! The house of David had all the wonderful ("eternal") promises of 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17, but they, too, were conditional! SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam and aiōnios) SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT Remember that Nebuchadnezzar's army captured Jerusalem several times: 605 B.C., 597 B.C., 586 B.C., and 582 B.C. They destroyed the city and temple in 586 B.C. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF NEO-BABYLON
Jeremias 21:1-2
21:1 "Pashhur" This is a different person than the priest/false prophet by the same name in Jer. 20:1 (see note there). He was a grandson of King Zedekiah (cf. Jer. 38). ▣ "King Zedekiah" He was the last of a series of bad Davidic kings. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY ▣ "Zephaniah" This priest is also mentioned in Jer. 29:25,29; 37:3; 52:24; 2 Kgs. 25:18-21. He was assistant to the High Priest. This is not the same person as the prophet Zephaniah (cf. Zeph. 1:1). 21:2 "inquire" This Qal IMPERATIVE (BDB 205, KB 233) means to petition God on behalf of another (cf. Jer. 37:7; Ezek. 20:1,3). One Aramaic Targum translates it as "pray." Zedekiah requests that YHWH act on Judah's behalf against Neo-Babylon as He had done in the past (i.e. against Assyria, Isaiah 36-39). It was part of the covenant promises especially related to the conquest of Canaan in 2 Kings 18 from Isaiah to Hezekiah. ▣ "Nebuchadnezzar" The spelling here is closer to the Babylonian spelling. It (BDB 613, KB 660) means "Nebo protect the boundary" or "Nebo protect the heir to the crown." The normal Hebrew spelling with an "N" may reflect a sarcastic purposeful corruption, "Nebo protect my mule." The Jews loved to add vowels or consonants that made a name refer to something shameful. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF NEO-BABYLON ▣ "wonderful acts" The king was hoping for a repeat of Isa. 37:36-37 or the "Holy War" of the Exodus or Joshua's conquest of Canaan (cf. Jer. 32:16-25). SPECIAL TOPIC: WONDERFUL THINGS
Jeremias 21:3-7
21:4-7 This is not the answer from YHWH that Zedekiah was praying for. He wanted covenant mercy without covenant faith and faithfulness! YHWH spells out in graphic terms the "wonderful acts" He will do to faithless Judah/Jerusalem. YHWH will not fight for Judah but will be with the Neo-Babylonian army (cf. Jer. 32:5; 33:5; 37:8-10; 38:2,17,18). YHWH's actions and emotions are described as (see SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN [anthropomorphism]) an outstretched hand (cf. Exod. 6:6; see SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND) a mighty arm (cf. Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8) angry full of wrath greatly indignant setting His face against Jerusalem, Jer. 21:10 for harm and not for good, Jer. 21:10 giving Jerusalem to the king of Neo-Babylon to burn, Jer. 21:10 Like "Holy War" (cf. Joshua 6), all that breathes, human and animal, will die. The Davidic seed, Zedekiah, and his house and the survivors of the siege will be exiled. Nebuchadnezzar II will act as YHWH's representative in judgment. will not spare will not have pity will not have compassion (cf. Jer. 13:14; 16:5) This is what the covenant people could not comprehend. YHWH, their God, fighting against them and His own temple! They had missed the key ingredients of faith faithfulness The wonderful covenant with Abraham had conditions (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28) and consequences! SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT 21:4 "Chaldeans" This was the racial identity of southern Babylon; later the term became the title of the entire nation. Herodotus (450 B.C.), Hist. I, uses this term to refer to an ethnic group (cf. 2 Kgs. 24:1-4; Dan. 5:30) as well as a priestly class (cf. Dan. 2:2; 3:8; 4:7; 5:7,11) whose usage goes back to Cyrus II. Even before this Assyrian records used the term (BDB 505) in an ethnic sense (cf. R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 1113). Also read the good discussion of the possibility of a confusion of two similar terms (i.e. Kal-du vs. Kasdu) in The Expositors Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 14-15 or Robert Dick Wilson, Studies in the Book of Daniel, series 1. Because Gen. 11:28 states that Ur of the Chaldeans was the home of Terah and his family, Chaldeans may have been ethnically Semitic (i.e. same racial group as the Hebrews). SPECIAL TOPIC: CHALDEANS 21:5 "with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm" See full note at Jer. 27:5. 21:7 There are several groups of Judeans addressed. the king and his family the royal servants (BDB 713) of his house of the government religious advisors the army (lit. "the people," BDB 766 I) the remaining remnant (lit. "who survive," BDB 983, Niphal PARTICIPLE (see SPECIAL TOPIC: REMNANT [three senses]) in v. 9 another group is mentioned ‒ those who surrender to the Neo-Babylonians ▣ "pestilence, the sword, and the famine" These are the typical description of the results of invasion and siege warfare (cf. Jer. 14:12). All of the surrounding villages gathered to the walled cities. Therefore, food, water, and sanitation became compromised.
Jeremias 21:8-10
21:8-10 This describes the conditional nature of the covenant. A good parallel text is Deut. 30:15-18, which Jeremiah seems to allude to. I have included my notes from that commentary here. Deut. 30:15 "I have set before you today life and prosperity or death and adversity" Even covenant Israel had to choose! This is referring to the blessing and cursing (cf. Deuteronomy 27-28). Remember the choice is set in a covenant of grace. This is very similar to Wisdom Literature's idiom of the "two ways" (cf. Prov. 4:10-19; Jer. 21:8; Matt. 7:13-14). Our choices show who we are! How we respond to life's inexplicable "in and outs" reveals our spiritual orientation! Deut. 30:16-18 These verses are a summary of covenant conditions and consequences: the responsibility (cf. Jer. 8:6; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9) "to love the Lord," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 12, KB 17, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) "walk in His ways," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 229, KB 246, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) "keep His commandments," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal INFINITIVE) the consequences of obedience "you may live," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 310, KB 309, Qal PERFECT with waw) "you may multiply," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 915, KB 1156, Qal PERFECT with waw) "your God may bless you," Jer. 21:16 (BDB 138, KB 159, Piel PERFECT with waw) the conditions and consequences of disobedience "if your heart turns away," Jer. 21:17 (BDB 815, KB 937, Qal IMPERFECT) "if you will not obey," Jer. 21:17; (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERFECT) idolatry (1) drawn away (BDB 623, KB 673, Niphil PERFECT with waw) (2) worship (BDB 1005, KB 295, Hishtaphel PERFECT with waw) (3) serve (BDB 712, KB 773, Qal PERFECT with waw) "you shall surely perish," Jer. 21:18 (BDB 1, KB 2, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Qal IMPERFECT, which expresses intensity) "you shall not prolong your days," Jer. 21:18 (BDB 73, KB 88, Hiphil IMPERFECT) Notice how v. 20 reinforces these covenant responsibilities so that the Patriarchal blessing (see SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT PROMISES TO THE PATRIARCHS) can be fulfilled! This terminology is characteristic of Deuteronomy. In this context the term "life" refers to physical deliverance from death at the hands of the Neo-Babylonian army. The Deuteronomy passage refers to the blessings of the obeyed covenant of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-29. 21:9 "he who goes out. . .will live" Jeremiah is asserting YHWH's promise that if they surrender (cf. Jer. 38:2; 39:18; 45:5) they will be exiled but will live.
Jeremias 21:11-12
21:11-14 These are words to the royal Davidic house, who were meant to represent YHWH and fulfill His laws (i.e. Exod. 21:17-22:3). Some English translations have one strophe, some two. The reason this information is important is that each strophe, like each paragraph, has one main truth/point. Outlining by strophe/paragraph facilitates an interpreter finding the intent of the original author more clearly. See "Bible Interpretation Seminar" 21:12 YHWH seems still to hold open the chance that Judah's leadership may repent, as seen in their possible new actions. administer justice every morning (BDB 192, KB 220, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jer. 7:5; 22:3; probably at the city gate, early each day) deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of the oppressor (BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) If they change (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:12-13), then YHWH will relent of the judgment He plans to send, but if not, "wrath. . .fire" (cf. Jer. 4:4). This is the typical covenantal "if. . .then" pattern of a conditional covenant. SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE (OT)
Jeremias 21:13-14
21:13-14 These two verses address those Judeans who live in the hills and remote valleys of Judah. They thought they would be safe, but not so! 21:14a This expresses the often repeated biblical truth that "humans reap what they sow." See full list of texts at Gal. 6:7-10. ▣ "fire" See SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE. ▣ "in its forest" The JPSOA (footnote) suggests that this refers to the royal palace which was made of cedars from Lebanon and was called "the house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kgs. 7:2; 10:17,21; 2 Chr. 9:16; Isa. 22:8). The house of David is mentioned in Jer. 21:12; also note 22:15b.