1Johanan and the other captains desire Jeremiah to enquire of God for them, promising implicit obedience to his directions. 7Jeremiah assureth them of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt: 19he reproveth their hypocrisy in asking counsel of God, which they meant not to follow.
1THEN all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
2And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be 1accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
1 See of this manner of speech Jer. 36 on verse 7. The sense is: Let our humble petition prevail with thee, reject it not. Compare also verse 9.
3That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have 2heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
2 That is, well understood; see Gen. 11:7 in the annotation. Or, I hear, that is, I am ready to satisfy your desire.
5Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a 3true and faithful witness 4between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.5
3 Hebr. a witness of truth and certain or faithful.
4 Or, against us, among us.
5 An abrupt kind of oath, as Jer. 38:16. See there.
6Whether it be good, or whether it be 6evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; thata it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
6 Namely, in our eyes; that is, whether it pleases us or not, whether it agrees with our reason and understanding or not, whether it goes with us or against us, whether it is acceptable or burthensome and grievous to us.
a Jer. 7:23.
7¶And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
8Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
9And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me 7to present your supplication before him;
7 Compare verse 2.
10If ye will still 8abide in this land, then will I 9buildb you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I 10repent me of the 11evil that I have done unto you.
8 Other, still dwell, or, returning (namely, from your purpose) will abide. Hebr. dwelling will dwell, or abiding will abide.
9 See Psalm 28 on verse 5.
b Jer. 24:6; 31:4; 33:7.
10 See Gen. 6 on verse 6.
11 Of punishment.
11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I will shew 12mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own 13land.
12 Namely, before the face of the king of Babel. See the same manner of speech Gen. 43:14, and compare 1 Kings 8:50; Ezra 7:28; Neh. 1:11; Psalm 106:46; Dan. 1:9.
13 That is, cause you to dwell in peace in your own land, to make use of your fields, lands, vineyards, etc., which in former time of war you were constrained to forsake, and could not enjoy them. See Jer. 40:11, 12.
13¶But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
14Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no 14war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
14 Compare Jer. 14:13.
15And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye 15wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
15 Hebr. setting shall set, that is, cast your eyes entirely upon Egypt, be totally and firmly minded to go thither. Also often in the sequel. Compare 1 Kings 2 on verse 15.
16Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
1716So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and 17none of them shall remain or escape 18from the evil that I will bring upon them.
16 That is, so shall it be with them.
17 Hebr. have none remaining or escaping. Understand except some few, Jer. 44:14, 18.
18 Or, on account of. Hebr. from the face of evil.
18For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be pouredc forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an 19execration,d and an astonishment,e and a curse,f and a reproach;g and ye shall see 20this place no more.
c Jer. 7:20.
19 Or, cursing, that when they curse any man with an oath, they shall use your example for it, wishing that it may so befall them as it has befallen you. Compare Isa. 65:15; Jer. 29:22; 44:12.
d Isa. 65:15.
e Jer. 18:16; 19:8; 25:9; 29:18.
f Jer. 24:9; 25:18; 26:6; 29:18.
g Jer. 24:9; 29:18.
20 The Jewish land.
19¶The LORD hath said 21concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: 22know certainly that I have admonished 23you this day.
21 Or, upon, against you.
22 Hebr. knowing ye shall know.
23 Or, among you, that is, that I have earnestly as in the presence of God exhorted and admonished you; whereof God and yourselves shall be witnesses. I testify to have done my duty.
20For ye dissembled in 24your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
24 That is, you have deceived your own selves, thinking by your hypocrisy to cause God to bend according to your own pleasure. Other, ye have deceived me or caused me to err against your souls, that is, to your own destruction; or, by what was in your souls, that is, speaking otherwise to me than your hearts purposed to do, dealing as hypocrites against me.
21And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, 25nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
25 Or, nor anything of that why he, etc. Now in verse 5 they had promised the contrary with a strong oath.
22Now therefore know 26certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
26 Hebr. knowing ye shall know.