Jeremiah 52:34

And [for] his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon,.... This seems to design not food only, and for himself, which he had daily at the king's table, but all necessary

And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his There was a continual diet given him ... every day a

He treated him like a prince, with a respect becoming his former state, took care both for his habit and diet: for his habit, that it should be decent, such as became a person of his quality, though a captive: for his diet, that he should have it in his court, thereby learning others that humanity which becometh all men to treat others with that are fallen under their power; that decency which becometh them as men, and as men whose circumstances have been better; doing to others as we would they should do unto us. Thus Jehoiachin’ s lot was different from that of his father Jehoiakim, whose body was cast out, as we heard before; as also from that of his uncle Zedekiah, who did not only die in Babylon, but died a prisoner; his nephew Jehoiachin died there, and a captive, but not in durance. Thee four last verses are found also ; and being found here in a narrative form, related as a piece of history relating a thing done not in a prophetical style, are an argument (as was said before) that this whole chapter is no part of the prophecy of Jeremiah, and probably not wrote by him; for he beginning his prophecy in the thirteenth year of Josiah, who reigned thirty-one years, and continuing it three months during the reign of Jehoahaz, and eleven years during the reign of Jehoiakim, and three months during the reign of Jehoiachin, (or Jeconiah,) and eleven years during the reign of Zedekiah, and Jehoiachin outliving the reign of Zedekiah twenty-five years, it must needs be sixty-five years and a half after the word of the Lord first came to Jeremiah before the death of Jehoiachin; so as the prophet, if he lived to that time, must be near a hundred years old, which is not probable. Here now endeth the history of the kingdom of Judah. I shall only note the severe judgment of God upon this people, whose kingdom was made up of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and half the tribe of Manasseh. In the numbering of the persons belonging to these two tribes, Numbers 1, (counting half of the number of the tribe of Manasseh,) we find one hundred twenty-six thousand one hundred. Numbers 26, we find of them one hundred forty-eight thousand four hundred and fifty. Here, , we find no more of them carried into captivity than four thousand and six hundred. From whence we may judge what a multitude of them were slain by the sword, or killed by the famine and the pestilence, though we make a great allowance for such as were left in the land to dress vineyards and to till the ground. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, to mock his messengers, despise his words, and misuse his prophets, till there be no remedy, as this people did, .

Verse 34. And - there was a continual diet given him] This was probably a ration allowed by the king for the support of Jehoiachin's household. For other particulars, 2Kg 25:30. All the days of his life.] I believe these words have been by mistake added from the preceding verse. There, they are proper; here, they are tautological. They are wanting in the Septuagint and in the Arabic. The preceding words, עד יום מותו ad yom motho, "to the day of his death," are wanting in two of De Rossi's and one of Kennicott's MSS. Coverdale ends thus: All the days of his life untill he died. This is better than the common Version. Immediately after this verse my old MS. Bible adds the following words: And done is aftir that into caitifte is brougt Israel, and Jerusalem is bestroide, satte Jeremye the prophet weepund, and weiled with this lamentation Jerusalem; and with bitter inwit sighand and criand weilawai, seide. Then follows in red letters: Here beginneth the Lamentation of Jeremye, that is intitle Cenoth; with the sortynge out of Ebrue letters. ALEPH: How sitteth aloon the city, &c. See something of a similar kind from other authorities, at the beginning of Lamentations. MASORETIC NOTES Number of verses in this Book, 1365. Middle verse, Jeremiah 28:11. Masoretic sections, 31.

34. until the day of his death, all the days of his life] The latter of these clauses (absent from LXX) is probably either an addition to, or originally a substitution for, the former, in order to avoid the inauspicious ending with the word death.

31-34. Evil-merodach… lifted up the head of Jehoiachin — This was evidently an act of favour performed on the occasion of his ascending the throne.