Jeremias 42
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Jeremias 42:1-6
42:1 "Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah" The person mentioned in Jer. 42:1 seems to be the same as in Jer. 43:2. The Septuagint (NRSV) has "Azariah" in both places. The UBS Text Project, p. 287, gives "Jezaniah" a "B" rating. SPECIAL TOPIC: SEPTUAGINT ▣ "both small and great" There are several forms of this Hebraic idiom which denote all the people (cf. Jer. 6:13; 8:10; 42:8; 44:12). This is a hyperbolic, inclusive idiom which does not mean every person. Hyperbole is such a common ANE literary form and it is so misunderstood by westerners. See G. B. Caird, The Langauge and Imagery of the Bible, pp. 110-117 and D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks, especially chapter 5. 42:2 "Jeremiah the prophet" This designation is repeated in Jer. 42:4. There is no doubt now, after the fall of Jerusalem to the Neo-Babylonian army, that Jeremiah was a true prophet (cf. Deut. 13:1-5). All that he had predicted came true. This is also a warning to those remaining Judeans who seek YHWH's counsel through him (cf. Jer. 42:4). In a sense this chapter is an example of a reverse "exodus." The Judeans refused to trust YHWH and stay in Palestine! Disobedience remains the problem! SPECIAL TOPIC: DIFFERENT HEBREW TERMS FOR PROPHET, #3 SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHECY (OT) ▣ "the Lord your God" The use of the PERSONAL PRONOUN "your" is not a theological statement of the petitioner's lack of faith in YHWH, but simply a cultural idiom (cf. 1 Kgs. 13:6; Jer. 37:3; 42:3,6, and esp. Jer. 42:20). ▣ "for all this remnant" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT (three senses), A. #2 ▣ "because we are left but a few out of many" This may be an allusion to Deut. 28:62. The covenant people were to be as the stars of heaven, the sand in the seashore (cf. Gen. 13:16), but they rebelled and violated the covenant. SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S COVENANT REQUIREMENTS OF ISRAEL 42:3 This is false piety. They really did not want to know YHWH's will. They wanted Him to affirm their decision of fleeing to Egypt. They had not followed YHWH's will (expressed through Scripture and the prophets) up to this point in their history. This is a sample of "fox-hole" faith (i.e. faith in crisis) that only lasts until the crisis has passed! ▣ "walk" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PATH, THE WAY 42:4 Jeremiah agrees to pray on their behalf. He will pass on their words to YHWH and will give them "exactly" His words! The last phrase of this verse, "I will not keep back a word from you," reminds one of the interchange between Eli and Samuel in 1 Sam. 3:17-18. 42:5-6 These verses are a tremendous statement of faith, but just not true! They really wanted God to approve their plans. Words of faith do not replace lives of faith! 42:5 These are two theologically significant words, "true" and "faithful," which are forms of the same root. true ‒ BDB 54, cf. Jer. 2:21; 4:2; 9:5; 10:10; 14:13; 23:28; 26:15; 28:9; 32:41; 33:6; 42:5 faithful ‒ BDB 52, cf. Jer. 12:6; 15:18; 40:14; 42:5 SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT) 42:6 "that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God" The phrase "go well" is an idiom from Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 4:40; 5:16,29,33). It is used in Jeremiah in Jer. 7:23; 38:20. Remember, the desire of YHWH for His covenant people is "blessing" so that the nations may be attracted to Him. This is part of the OT's "two ways" (cf. Deut. 30:15-20, Psalm 1). For "listen" see SPECIAL TOPIC: LISTEN/HEAR (shema). SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN
Jeremias 42:7-17
42:7 "at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah" Notice that Jeremiah had to wait for YHWH to respond. He could not voice his own opinion. For "ten" see SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE 42:10 "If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down" This is related to Jeremiah's call in Jer. 1:10. This is a tremendous promise of restoration and divine protection! The first of v. 10, in the MT, has the VERB shub (שׁוב, BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, but Masoretic scholars suggest it should be the VERB "remain" (ישׁב, BDB 442, KB 444), which matches the IMPERFECT VERB, making this an intensified statement (i.e. NASB, "if you will indeed stay in the land"). Notice lthe conditional nature of YHWH's response! ▣ "I will relent" This is literally "to be sorry" (BDB 636, KB 688, Niphal PERFECT; cf. Jer. 4:28; 15:6; 18:8; 20:16; 31:15,19; Joel 2:13; Amos 7:3,6; Jonah 3:10; 4:2). God does change His mind, based on human repentance! If prayer and repentance do not change God, why do believers pray?! Remember all characterizations about Deity are communicated in human language. A change of heart and mind in a human triggers a positive response from God! Most prophecies are conditional (even when not stated). They express what will happen if the current attitude and actions continue. But if repentance occurs the future changes (i.e. Jonah)! See D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic. It is a tenet of hermeneutics that a literary context must also be interpreted in a larger historical context. The ANE, particularly Sumer and Babylon, record that pagan deities also grieved over the judgment they allowed to occur. See The IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 674. Several of my favorite commentators try to interpret the Bible in light of its cultural setting. R. K. Harrison Roland deVaux John H. Walton Kenneth E. Bailey "Bible Interpretation Seminar" SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT SPECIAL TOPIC: INTERCESSORY PRAYER 42:11 What a wonderful encouragement. do not be afraid of the king of Babylon ‒ BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense (cf. Jer. 1:8; also note 2 Chr. 32:7-8) whom you are now fearing ‒ BDB 431, KB 432, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE do not be afraid of him (repeated for emphasis; note Rom. 8:31-39) I am with you (i.e. there is no greater promise) to save ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT (Jer. 15:20) to deliver ‒ BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT (cf. Jer. 1:19; Isa. 43:2,5) This was YHWH's word to them! Would they believe it and obey it by faith? They said they would (Jer. 42:5-6), but they would not! 42:12 YHWH promises that as He shows compassion/mercy (BDB 933, KB 1216), He will guide His servant Nebuchadnezzar II to show mercy to the remaining remnant of Judeans (there are textual variants related to the PRONOUNS "he" and "I." YHWH will direct Nebuchadnezzar). The phrase "I will restore you to your own soil" may reflect that Jeremiah wrote this text while in Egypt it is idiomatic for their own personal ancestral property 42:13-17 The conditional nature of YHWH's answer to their prayers through Jeremiah is clearly spelled out in these verses. Rejection of YHWH's repentance and mercy becomes the curse of judgment (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30). There is an awesome responsibility in seeking YHWH's guidance! The IMPERATIVE of "listen" ("hear," BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) in Jer. 42:15 has consequences (cf. Luke 12:48). SPECIAL TOPIC: LISTEN/HEAR (shema) 42:15 "remnant" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT, three senses, A. #2. ▣ "if you really set your mind" "if you wholly set your faces" "if you set your faces" "if you turn your faces" NRSV, TEV, REB, NJB, NET "if you are so determined" These translations reflect a common Hebrew idiom involving the use of "face" as denoting a personal decision. Here, it denotes a decision against the revealed will of YHWH. These people said one thing but did another! human decisions ‒ 2 Kgs. 12:17; Jer. 42:17; 44:11; Dan. 11:17 divine decisions ‒ Lev. 26:17; Jer. 21:10; 44:11 42:16 Notice the personification of the means YHWH will use for His judgment. the sword ‒ will overtake you (BDB 673, KB 727, Hiphil IMPERFECT the famine ‒ will follow closely after you (BDB 179, KB 209, Qal IMPERFECT See G. B. Caird, The Language and Imagery of the Bible, pp. 136-137.
Jeremias 42:18-22
42:18 "the Lord of hosts" See SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord of Hosts. ▣ "you will see this place no more" This is God's stern warning that if they violated His words, there would be no restoration for them! Notice the list of negative consequences for disobeying YHWH's revealed will (see Ps. 24:9). as My anger and wrath (see SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE GOD) have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so too, on you "a curse" ‒ BDB 46, #4, "excretion," cf. Num. 5:27; Deut. 29:21; Jer. 29:18; 42:18; 44:12 "an object of horror" ‒ BDB 1031 I, "apallment," "horror" ‒ cf. Deut. 28:37; 2 Kgs. 22:19; 2 Chr. 29:8; 30:7; Jer. 5:30; 25:9,11; 29:18; 42:18; 44:12,22; 49:13,17; 50:23; 51:37,41; Micah 6:16; Zeph. 2:15 "an imprecation" ‒ BDB 887, cf. Deut. 11:26,28; 21:23; 23:5; 28:15,45; 2 Kgs. 22:19; Ps. 109:17,18; Jer. 24:9; 25:18; 29:22; Zech. 8:13 "a reproach" ‒ BDB 357, #3, "a taunt," cf. Ps. 31:11; 44:13; 69:10; 79:4; 89:41; 109:25; Isa. 30:5; Jer. 6:10; 20:8; 24:9; 29:18; 44:8,12; 49:13; Ezek. 5:14,15; Dan. 9;16; 12:2 you will become a reproach (BDB 357, cf. Jer. 6:10; 24:9; 29:18; 42:18; 44:8,12; 49:13) you will see this place (i.e. Judah) no more (see SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT PROMISES TO THE PATRIARCHS) 42:19 "clearly understand" This is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root (BDB 393, KB 390) used for emphasis. For even added emphasis, it is repeated twice (Jer. 42:19 and 22). These Judeans asked for YHWH's guidance and now they were knowingly rejecting it! Ignorance is one thing, but open-eyed disobedience is another. 42:20 "you have only deceived yourselves" How characteristic of fallen mankind! We tend to do what we want to do! We only appear to be religious (i.e. Isa. 29:13)! ▣ "we will do it" They were planning incredible disobedience in light of Jer. 42:5 and 6! 42:21 "you have not obeyed" Literally "listened to." See SPECIAL TOPIC: LISTEN/HEAR (shema) and SPECIAL TOPIC: KEEP.