Jeremiah 22

Jeremiah Chapter Twenty-Two Verse 1 Jeremiah 22THE EARTHLY HOUSE OF DAVID This is a landmark chapter in God’s Word. The beginning of the Jewish state had been contrary to God’s will (1 Samuel 8:7). It was based entirely upon the people’s rejection of God’s will and their desire to be like the nations around them. Not surprisingly, that “sinful kingdom” became the scandal of antiquity, fully deserving the word of the Lord to Amos when he declared, “Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom; and I will destroy it off the face of the earth” (Amos 9:8). Hosea also was commanded to name his firstborn son Jezreel, which means, “I will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease” (Hosea 1:3). The details of that destruction are all evident in this chapter. (For those interested in a further study of this, see Vol. 1 of my commentaries on the minor prophets, pp. 231-235.) As Halley said, “In Jeconiah and Zedekiah, we have the end of the earthly kingdom of Judah."[1]The chapter naturally falls into four paragraphs: (1) Jeremiah 22:1-9, applicable to the early part of the reign of Jehoiachim; (2) Jeremiah 22:10-12 which speak of the days immediately after the deposition of Jehoahaz and his captivity in Egypt; (3) Jeremiah 22:13-19 applicable to the events near the close of Jehoiachim’s wicked reign; and (4) Jeremiah 22:20-30 relating to the reign of Jeconiah (Coniah, or Jehoiachin).[2]Scholars are not unanimous in their opinions regarding the dates of specific verses in the chapter; but there seems to be no doubt that all of the prophecies in this section may be applied to terminal conditions in “the sinful kingdom.” The terminal kings of Judah featured in this section are Josiah, Jehoahaz (Shallum), Jehoiachim (Eliakim), Jehoiachin (Coniah), and Zedekiah.

Jehoiachim was actually the firstborn of Josiah; but his evil character was evidently well known in Judah, which probably accounts for the people’s elevation of Jehoahaz to the throne instead of his older brother. This violated the principle of primogeniture. However, the strategy did not work. With the removal of Jehoahaz by the Egyptians, the last hope of Judah’s having a decent king perished. “Jehoahaz (Shallum) lasted only three months. Eliakim (Jehoiachim) resented what was done, threw himself into the arms of the Egyptians; and Pharaoh-Necho deposed Jehoahaz (Shallum) and enthroned Eliakim (Jehoiachim) as his vassal king in Jerusalem. He deported Jehoahaz (Shallum) to Egypt; and from that time he was heard of no more."[3]The double names here should not be confusing. One name is the family name and the other one is the name assumed when the wearer came to the throne. It makes little difference which was which; but Shallum and Eliakim are usually identified as the family names. Jeremiah 22:1-5; Jeremiah 22:8 are alleged to be “in the style of Deuteronomy”;[4] but it would be far better to state that they are in the style of Moses; for it is the whole covenant of God with Israel that is referred to in these verses. There are actually more references in this writer’s Cross-Reference Bible to Exodus, Leviticus, Genesis, and Numbers than there are to Deuteronomy. We should heed the wise words of J. A. Thompson in his analysis of the passage. “The protection of the orphan, the widow, and the stranger is a part of the covenant stipulation (Exodus 22:21-26; Exodus 23:9; Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 10:18-19; Deuteronomy 24:17). The king was as much under obligation to fulfill the words of the Sinai Covenant as were the people. The Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7 was no different in this respect from the Mosaic Covenant."[5]Jeremiah 22:1-9“Thus said Jehovah; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word. and say, Hear the word of Jehovah, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates. Thus saith Jehovah: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a desolation.

For thus saith Jehovah concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will prepare destroyers against thee, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall cry every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah their God and worshipped other gods, and served them.““If ye will do this thing indeed …” (Jeremiah 22:4) Thompson translated this clause, “If you scrupulously carry out this commission."[6]“They shall cut down thy choice cedars …” (Jeremiah 22:7). “In keeping with the figure of a forest, the destruction of Jerusalem is represented as the hewing down of the choice cedars. The destroyed city will become a monument to God’s wrath against the transgressors of his covenant."[7]Jeremiah 22:8 reflects the promise recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 29:33ff. Along with the king’s palace, the whole city will be destroyed. “Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah …” (Jeremiah 22:9). The covenant in view here is the one commonly called the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, or the Sinaitic Covenant (Exodus 20:3;Deuteronomy 5:7). “The covenant violated here was not the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7, but the initial covenant at Sinai, referred to recurringly in earlier portions of Jeremiah. The extensive devastation was a lesson to all nations on the perils of idolatry."[8]Although Jellie thought that these first nine verses were addressed to the early days of the reign of Jehoiachim, Harrison assigned them to the times of Zedekiah.[9] As we have frequently noted, if such distinctions were very important, God would have revealed the exact situation. Here it makes little or no difference, because the words perfectly fit either one of the monarchs mentioned. Verse 10 “Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for him that goeth away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. For thus saith Jehovah touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and went forth out of his place: He shall not return thither any more; but in the place where they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more.“These words, of course, apply to the brief period following the usurpation of the throne from Shallum by the Egyptians who placed their vassal Jehoiachim on the throne and imposed a heavy tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold annually upon the people. Shallum was the very last chance that Israel had to receive a decent king. Jehoiachim was a carbon copy of Manasseh. “He permitted pagan rites to flourish again, including even those of Egypt."[10] The next paragraph will speak of the heartless tyranny, selfishness, extravagance and insatiable greed of this evil ruler. “Weep not for the dead … but for him that goeth away …” (Jeremiah 22:10). This meant “Do not weep for Josiah, but for Shallum.” The latter was the last sad home for Judah. Shallum was the first king of Israel to be deported and to die in exile. Verse 13 “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his neighbor’s services without wages, and giveth him not his hire; that saith, I will build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceded with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shalt thou reign because thou strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well, Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah. But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.“There is little need to catalogue the sins of Jehoiachim. He contrived the dethroning of his own brother, resulting in his captivity and probable death.

In addition to the great tribute which he promised Egypt, and which he extorted annually from the people, he initiated a very luxurious and extravagant building program for himself, using forced labor, conscripting his neighbors to work for him without any pay whatever. He was a typical Near-Eastern despot, doing all kinds of violence against any or all hapless victims of his displeasure and murdering many innocent people, including, among countless others the prophet Uriah, who was extradited from Egypt and put to death (Jeremiah 26:20-23). Not only murder, but the type of slavery mentioned in these verses, were offenses against covenant law (Leviticus 19:13). In this man and his hapless son Coniah, the house of David came to its miserable end. “That useth his neighbor for services without wages …” (Jeremiah 22:13). “Here is a democratic idea, The king and the carpenter or neighbors.'"[11]"Did not thy father eat and drink ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/15" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:15</a>)? This means that, "He lived well enough; he was not an ascetic."[12]The same words were used of Jesus by himself in a comparison with John the Baptist (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/11/18" class="green-link">Matthew 11:18-19</a>), "Shalt thou reign because thou strivest to excel in cedar ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/15" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:15</a>)? Keil's comment here was, "Kingship does not consist in the erection of splendid palaces, but in the administration of righteousness and justice,"[13]"Thine eyes and thine heart are not, but for thy covetousness, etc." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/17" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:17</a>). This is a terrible indictment of Jehoiachim, meaning that his heart and eyes did not even exist except for the purpose of helping this evil ruler in the pursuit of wickedness. Everything that fell under his eyesight was only looked at with a view of using what he saw in some way to his advantage; and nothing ever entered his mind but some evil plan or device by which he could defraud or exploit his subjects! Satan must have been well pleased with such a son! "Was not this to know me, saith Jehovah ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/16" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:16</a>)? Knowing God, whether in the times of Jeremiah, or at the present time, does not consist merely of having heard of him, or having read his word, or having been associated with God-fearing people. It is the kind of knowledge that is exhibited in a pious and godly life, and in the strict obedience of his holy commandments. Verse 18 "Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiachim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem."We wonder at so many writers expressing concern that "We have no confirmation of this prophecy." None is needed. God said it would happen, and it did. There's not a line to the contrary anywhere in the Bible; and we can see no purpose in noting that when the death of Jehoiachim was mentioned in <a href="/bible/parallel/2KI/24/6" class="green-link">2 Kings 24:6</a> there was no reference to what happened. The passage merely states that, "Jehoiachim slept with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his stead." Nevertheless, the passage bears witness to the fulfillment of this prophecy, because, "The complete formula for describing the death of a king of Judah was: He slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David.’ “[14] There is no doubt whatever that the omission of the usual line, He was buried with his fathers,' means, absolutely, that he was not so buried. This prophecy is repeated in <a href="/bible/parallel/JER/36/30" class="green-link">Jeremiah 36:30</a>; but of its fulfillment we know nothing. However, the prophet would not have inserted it in Zedekiah's roll, unless the circumstances of Jehoiachim's death had been such as to give full weight to this warning.[15]It is believed that the fulfillment of this prophecy came as the Babylonian invaders approached Jerusalem. "The pro-Babylonian party within the city organized an assassination of Jehoiachin in a palace revolt."[16]Under pressure of the siege, the assassins merely dragged the body of Jehoiachim, as they would have dragged a dead animal out of the city and disposed of it "beyond the gates." Verse 20 "Go up to Lebanon and cry; lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake to thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice. The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail."Both Bashan and Abarim were beyond the strict borders of Palestine, Abarim is the chain of mountains east of Jordan in which is located Mount Nebo, from which Moses viewed the Promised land. The thought seems to be that the whole land of Palestine, along with its surrounding areas, should moan, and weep and bewail the devastation coming upon Judah. "All thy lovers are destroyed ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/20" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:20</a>). "These were Judah's political allies."[17]"The wind shall feed all thy shepherds ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/22/22" class="green-link">Jeremiah 22:22</a>). "This means, the wind shall round them up and drive them away.’ “[18]“How greatly to be pitied shalt thou be …” (Jeremiah 22:23). The prophet loved his native land and his sinful people; and his heart was filled with pity as he delivered the tragic message regarding Judah’s destruction. Verse 24 “As I live, saith Jehovah, though Coniah the son of Jehoiachin king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto their soul longeth to return, thither shall they not return. Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah, Write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his seed prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.“The prophecy here is that both Jeconiah (Coniah) and the queen mother shall go into Babylonian captivity and die in that land. This indeed came to pass; and Coniah lived thirty-seven years in captivity. “Coniah …” (Jeremiah 22:24). This man was named Jeconiah (Jeremiah 24:1) and Coniah (here and inJeremiah 37:1); and he came to the throne under the name of Jehoiachin. Keil cited two other variations of the name which correspond to two of the three names cited here.[19]Payne Smith stated that Coniah was king of Judah at the time Jeremiah wrote these words, basing his opinion upon the construction, “Coniah the son of Jehoiachim king of Judah."[20]“Thee and the mother that bare thee …” (Jeremiah 22:26). “The queen mother had some official status in Judah of that period and may have worn a crown and sat on a throne adjacent to that of the king … Jehoiachin was eventually released in Babylon by Evil-Merodach; but he was required to remain in Babylon."[21]“They are cast out, he and his seed …” (Jeremiah 22:28-30). Some find a problem here, becauseJeremiah 22:30 states that Jeconiah would die childless. The problem is solved either (1) by throwing out the last four words here as not belonging to the text (And this is supported by the LXX), or (2) by makingJeremiah 22:30 the full explanation of what is meant by “write Coniah childless.” It meant merely that he would not have a successor on the throne of Judah. Either solution appears to be adequate. Practically all present-day scholars accept solution (2), above. Some very learned men of an earlier generation insist that he died, literally, without any children. Payne Smith insisted that, “There is no proof that Jehoiachin ever had any children. None are mentioned in 2 Kings 24:15; and the fact that when his father Jehoiachim died the harem of that ruler passed to Coniah, suggests that the “children” mentioned in 2 Chronicles 3:17 might merely have been his adopted children through that inheritance."[22]Matthew Henry also took the same view, offering as proof the fact, the oldest son of Jehoiachin was Shealtiel; but in the Lukan genealogy of Christ, Shealtiel is listed as the son of Neil, not Jehoiachin, indicating that Jehoiachin was only his adopted father. We do not attach a great deal of importance to the question; but we prefer the views presented by the Dean of Canterbury and by Matthew Henry. There is nothing in their exegesis of this problem that is in any manner unreasonable. Certainly, there is no Jehoiachin, Coniah, or Jeconiah in the Lukan account of the lineage of the Son of God which goes back to David, not through Solomon, but through Nathan. Those who try to find Coniah in the ancestry of Christ will find it in Matthew 1:12; but that is only the legal ancestry of Christ through his foster father Joseph, making him the legal heir to the throne that was once held by Jeconiah. Yes, it states in Matthew 1:12 that Jeconiah “begat Shealtiel”; but in genealogical tables distinctions such as real sons or adopted sons were not distinguished. In fact there are not even any distinctions between sons and grandsons, actual sons or Levirate sons, etc. Since Coniah was childless, Shealtiel an adopted son, inherited the non-existent throne of Judah; but Luke, unconcerned about legal rights to a throne traced Shealtiel’s ancestry through his actual father Neri. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah regarded Jeconiah (Coniah) as the last king of Judah; but some writers insist that Zedekiah was the last king.[23] Of course, in a sense he was the last king; but in none of the eleven years that he reigned between 598,587 B.C. was he ever really “king of Judah,” but a vassal of the Babylonians who had deposed and deported Jeconiah (Coniah) and placed Zedekiah on the throne as a puppet. Besides that, Nebuchadnezzar captured Zedekiah and blinded him after killing his sons before his eyes; and he was outlived many years by Jeconiah, who lived some thirty-seven years in captivity until he was released by Evil-Merodach. The Jews of Jerusalem never recognized Zedekiah as king and continually longed for the return of Jehoiachin. Therefore we follow the position of Ezekiel and of Jeremiah in considering Coniah as the last of Israel’s kings. It has been objected to Jeremiah’s prophecy here that no one descended from Coniah would ever sit upon the throne of David; because, as premillennial advocates insist, “This would exclude Christ from sitting on David’s throne."[24] Such an objection, however is worthless, since Luke’s genealogy makes no mention of any son of Jehoiachin in the ancestry of Christ. However, even if it was otherwise, the prohibition was not against such a descendant “sitting on David’s throne,” but against his doing so “in Jerusalem!” Also, the scriptures flatly declare that the reference to some Great One to sit on David’s throne was a reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:31). The fulfillment of the Messianic promise was complete when Jesus Christ, “sat down at the right hand of the majesty On High.”

Jeremiah 22:1

Jeremiah 22:1. A reference to Jeremiah 21:1 will tell us that Zedekiah was the king to whom the prophet was to deliver this special message.

Jeremiah 22:2

Jeremiah 22:2. The throne of David always meant the throne in Jerusalem because the one in Samaria was never occupied by a descendant of David. And the one in Jerusalem was attributed to that great servant of God because he received it first after it was taken from the tribe of Benjamin in the days of Saul. The crown remained in the tribe of Judah ever after as long as the people had a kingdom.

Jeremiah 22:3

Jeremiah 22:3. The conduct described in this verse is what should have been the practice all along. Instead, the strong had been permitted to overcome the weak and the rich were suffered to defraud the poor through bribery and other means.

Jeremiah 22:4

Jeremiah 22:4. We have here a passage similar to Jeremiah 17:24-25 and it calls for like comments. We know it had been decidedly announced that nothing could be done to prevent the captivity and national downfall. Therefore the passage must mean that had they performed such transactions in time they would have obtained the favors described.

Jeremiah 22:5

Jeremiah 22:5. If ye will not should be taken to mean “ since ye did not.” As a punishment for it the house in Jerusalem was to become desolate.

Jeremiah 22:6

Jeremiah 22:6. A man often discards a possession because it had never been valued highly anyway. But (hat was not the case with Judah for God compared her to Gilead and Lebanon, two very desirable districts in Palestine. Notwithstanding this estimate of the land of Judah, God determined to cast it off for its sins against Him and to cause its cities to become depopulated.

Jeremiah 22:7

Jeremiah 22:7. God did not directly perform the acts of punishment here described but strengthened the heathen nations that came against Palestine to do so.

Jeremiah 22:8

Jeremiah 22:8. The devastation of Jerusalem was to be so evident that the passers-by would notice it and make remarks. The heathen nations did not know the Lord as the people of Judah did, yet they knew that Jerusalem had for centuries been known as a city possessed by a being called the Lord. Their questioning one with another was concerning the reason why the possessor of such a city would suffer it to fall into this state of desolation.

Jeremiah 22:9

Jeremiah 22:9. It was more or less common knowledge that the Jew’s were restricted against the worship of strange gods, and that penalties were to be Imposed upon them if they practiced it. Therefore it would be understood that the conditions of ruin that met the eye came as a fulfillment of the warn-ings.

Jeremiah 22:10

Jeremiah 22:10. Weep ye not for the dead. People sometimes show sympathy for the wrong person and overlook another whose fate is actually more to be regretted. Such was the case when Jesus was being led away to crucifixion. The women were weeping for him when they should have been weeping for themselves (Luke 23:27-29), The dead man in this verse was Josiah, the righteous king of Judah. ’ When he died under such unfortunate circumstances (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22-23) it caused a great lamentation. The words weep ye not do not mean that it would he improper to lament his passing for Jeremiah himself did so (2 Chronicles 35; 2 Chronicles 25), The thought is that another person was to have a misfortune befall him that would be more lamentable, which was to be exiled into a foreign land without friends to accompany him.

Jeremiah 22:11

Jeremiah 22:11. The person referred to in the preceding verse was the son of Josiah. That son was not dead at the time Jeremiah was writing this prediction, but inspiration told him of the circumstances under which he would die. He is here called Shallum but was elsewhere called Jehoahaz, The Bible does not give us the reason for the extra name but it was not unusual for people to have more than one name. This man succeeded his father Josiah on the throne but was allowed to retain it only three months. He was forceably removed from it by the Egyptian king Pharoah-nechoh and taken to Egypt from which he never returned (2 Kings 23:33).

Jeremiah 22:12

Jeremiah 22:12. It is a sad experience not to be allowed even to see one’s native land again after being banished from it. So this Shallum was destined to die In this far-away land without even being permitted to see his native land again (2 Kings 23:34). No wonder Jeremiah hade his people to mourn for him who suffered such a disgrace, rather than for his father who died without seeing the misfortune coming upon his son.

Jeremiah 22:13

Jeremiah 22:13. This has reference to the leaders who had enriched their own possessions at the expense of the common and poor people. They used their positLon unfairly because of their official standing and forced the others to serve them without wages.

Jeremiah 22:14

Jeremiah 22:14. These selfish men even boasted of the fine houses they had built, using the labor of the under classes in an overbearing way.

Jeremiah 22:15

Jeremiah 22:15. Shalt thou reign is a question the Lord asked these selfish leaders in his nation. Houses built of cedar usually Indicated places to be used either as palaces of kings or the mansions for their residences. There would not have been so much wrong in their owning these good houses had they obtained them in a just way and also were occupying them in connection with a righteous life. As proof of thiB (ruth they were reminded of the case of their righteous ancestors who enjoyed the good things of life and at the some time received the favor of the Lord. But the reason for it was stated in connection with the subject; they practiced judgment and justice.

Jeremiah 22:16

Jeremiah 22:16. Further details are given as to why the forefathers fared so well. They judged the cause of the poor and needy, which means they gave consideration to the claims of the unfortunate classes of the citizens.

Jeremiah 22:17

Jeremiah 22:17. But the present generation was given to selfishness, even at the expense of the righteous poor of the land. If these covetous desires called for the slaying of innocent men the horrible plots were carried out.

Jeremiah 22:18

Jeremiah 22:18. The remarks of the preceding verses could truthfully have been made of the leaders generally, but the Lord now comes to particulars and names a certain man. Jeholaklm was a son of Josiah and obtained the throne through the power of the Egyptian king who had deported his brother Jehoahaz, otherwise called Sballum. But Jehoiakim was a wicked ruler and practiced the injustices described in the preceding verses. Because of the oppression he forced upon the people they were actually relieved when be died, for they did not make any lamentations over it.

Jeremiah 22:19

Jeremiah 22:19. Honorable burial has always been regarded as an indication of the respect with which a person had been held, therefore the lack of it would indicate the opposite. Jehoiakim was to have his body dragged out of the city and buried with no more respect than would have been given to a dumb beast.

Jeremiah 22:20

Jeremiah 22:20, Lebanon was one of the favorite districts of Palestine from which the people sometimes got trees to form into idols. Bashan was a city in the heathen territory where much of the idolatrous practice was learned. Thy lovers are destroyed, is an allusion to Idolatry because that iniquity was compared with unfaithfulness in the marriage relation. The spots just named were connected with that corruption but were destined to be cleared of it by the captivity. The language of this verse is in the present tense as to grammatical form but is a prediction in thought.

Jeremiah 22:21

Jeremiah 22:21. In thy prosperity means the Lord gave his people full warning during the time when all things were going well with the nation. Had they heeded the instruction at that time they could have avoided the humiliation of the captivity.

Jeremiah 22:22

Jeremiah 22:22. As a wind will sweep things before it because of their lightness, so these pastors (unfaithful teachers) were to be swept away by the wind of the Babylonian army. When that takes place all the guilty ones will go into captivity. Be ashamed and confounded refers to the humiliation and confusion that was to result when the nation has been taken into Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah 22:23

Jeremiah 22:23. Inhabitant of Lebanon is not literally restricted to the people who lived In that territory for it was not very near to Jerusalem the condemned city. It is mentioned in this connection because of the pride the people had in that spot and also because of the idolatrous practices that were connected with it. Gracious is from CHANAN and the part of Strong’ s definition that applies here is, “to implore (i, e,, move to favor by petition),” The thought is that when these guilty people see the enemy at their gates they will plead for God to be gracious unto them.

Jeremiah 22:24

Jeremiah 22:24. The last three kings who sat on the throne of Judah were wicked men and all have been given attention by the prophet. They have not always been mentioned in the order of their reign for Zedekiah has been named already and he was the last one. The one who reigned last before him is the one named in this verse. This man had three names or at least that many forms of spelling it. To avoid confusion I will state them which are, Coniah, Jeconiah and Jehoiachin.

This man was not allowed to reign but three months when he was taken off by the king of Babylon, However, he submitted to the invader according to the advice of ch, 15: 2; 21: 9. and was taken unharmed to Babylon. Though . . . were the signet upon my right hand means that even the most valuable possession of the Lord would be discarded if it became corrupt. This man had to suffer the humiliation of captivity, also be destined to some other personal misfortunes, yet some exceptions were made in his ease as we shall see later.

Jeremiah 22:25

Jeremiah 22:25. Seek thy life does not mean necessarily that he would he slain, but that his life would be taken over by another. Nebuchadrezzar was king of Babylon and the Chaldeans were a special group who were out-standing citizens of the country.

Jeremiah 22:26

Jeremiah 22:26. The other country was Babylon and mention was made of his not being born there to emphasize the fact of its being a foreign land. There shall ye die. In 2 Kings 25:30 it Is stated that certain treatments were accorded Coniah in Babylon “ all the days of his life.” That would mean he lived hiB entire life in Babylon after being taken there which fulfills the prediction in the present verse. The Biblical account of the capture of this man and his relatives is given in 2 Kings 24:10-16.

Jeremiah 22:27

Jeremiah 22:27. Exile in a foreign land is sad enough, but Coniah and hia family were notified that they never would be permitted to return to their native land.

Jeremiah 22:28

Jeremiah 22:28. The general context shows this verse is a declaration of the Lord and not merely a question as the form of sentence construction would indicate. Therefore the words should be arranged to make them read, fft-is man Coniah is a despised broken idol, etc. This does not add a single word to the passage but truly translates the original, “We are not told just what particular evils Coniah had committed but they certainly were bftd to have brought upon him and his family this shameful treatment.

Jeremiah 22:29

Jeremiah 22:29, The word for earth is also defined “land” hy Strong. The verse means an emphatic call for all the people of the land to hear the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 22:30

Jeremiah 22:30. Childless does not require that he never did have any children, for verse 28 says his seed was cast out into a strange land, and one word in the lexicon definition of seed is “posterity.” The rest of this verse also in-dicates that he had seed but that no one of them would be allowed to succeed his father on the throne as was the usual procedure. Instead, the king of Babylon made his brother king of Judah who was called Zedekiah. (See 2 Kings 24:17 : 1 Chronicles 3:15; 2 Chronicles 36:10).