Bible Commentary: Jeremiah 42 - Ezekiel 4

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Bible Commentary for Jeremiah 42 thru Ezekiel 4

Jeremiah Chapter 42

After the death of Gedaliah, the people wanted to leave the land and go to Egypt to live. They decided to ask Jeremiah to approach Jehovah in their behalf and find out what He wanted them to do. Jeremiah agreed to do this and said that he would tell them everything that Jehovah had said. They then said that if they did not obey the word of Jehovah that He would send to them, whether it was favorable or unfavorable, then He would be a witness against them because they were going to obey Jehovah. Jehovah spoke to Jeremiah ten days later and he proceeded to tell them what he said.

Jehovah’s word to them was that if they stayed in the land, He would support them and help them because He was grieved over what He had done to them. They were not to be in fear of the king of Babylon because He would cause him to have compassion upon them and allow them to stay in the land. But, if they were determined to leave the land and thus disobey Jehovah, going to Egypt in hopes of avoiding any threat of war, then they would find that the sword, famine and plague would follow them there. Jehovah was going to pour out His wrath upon Egypt and the other nations just as He had done to Jerusalem. (25:17-19) All those who were determined to go to Egypt would die there and would never see their land again.

Jeremiah emphasized to the remnant that they were not to go to Egypt although he could tell that they had already made the decision to do just that. He told them that if they had not intended to obey Jehovah, then they should not have asked him to pray to Jehovah on their behalf. Their disobedience to Jehovah would mean their eventual death by the same means that their fellow Israelites had been subjected to, the king of Babylon would come to Egypt and besiege it.

Jeremiah Chapter 43

After Jeremiah finished telling the people what Jehovah had said, they immediately told Jeremiah that he was lying, that Jehovah had never said that they should not go to Egypt. These men were determined to go into Egypt, no matter what Jehovah wanted them to do as they had no intention of obeying Him. They had not learned anything from what had happened to their nation. So they forced everyone, including Jeremiah and Baruch, to go into Egypt to live. When they arrived in Egypt, they went as far as Tahpanhes, a fortified city on the northern border of Lower Egypt, where Pharaoh had a palace. Jehovah’s word came to Jeremiah while they were there.

Jehovah told him to take some stones and bury them in the pavement going up to Pharaoh’s palace while the remnant looked on. He would then tell them that Nebuchadnezzar would set up his throne over those buried stones. He was going to invade Egypt and those destined for captivity, death and the sword would suffer these events. He would burn the temples of the Egyptian gods and would carry these gods into captivity. He would take complete control of Egypt and his army would not suffer any damage from the Egyptian army. There are no writings other than the word of God that supports that Nebuchadnezzar did defeat and capture Egypt. In Ezekiel 29:17-20, Jehovah told the prophet Ezekiel that He would give Nebuchadnezzar the wealth of Egypt as his reward because he had not gotten anything from his campaign against Tyre.

Jeremiah Chapter 44

Later, Jehovah spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that were living in Egypt. He reminded them that they had seen all that He had done to Jerusalem and Judah because the provoked Him to anger by burning incense and worshipping other gods in spite of all the warnings that He had given. They refused to listen to His prophets and so He had poured out His burning anger against them. Now that they were living in Egypt, they were still provoking Him to anger because they were now worshipping all the gods of Egypt. They had not, after all that had happened, humbled themselves nor shown reverence to Him or had obeyed His law. Therefore, He was going to bring about the complete destruction of the remnant of them that had been left after the destruction of Judah and had settled in Egypt. None of them would escape or survive to return to their land other than a few fugitives.

The Jews then told Jeremiah that they had no intention of listening to the word of Jehovah as they were going to continue to worship these other gods because these gods had always provided for them when they lived in Judah. As soon as they stopped making offering to these gods, they had been perishing by the sword and famine and had lost everything that they possessed. They attributed all of the troubles they were experiencing to their giving up the worship of these idols and absolutely refused to admit that this was the sin that had brought disaster upon them.

Jeremiah reminded them that Jehovah was certainly aware of their idolatry and when His patience had run out, He brought upon them all the disaster that they were now experiencing. Since they were determined to continue in their wayward course, then Jehovah would leave them to it. But they had better remember that none of the remnant of Judahites who had survived the destruction of Jerusalem and who had gone to live in Egypt would ever swear by or invoke His name. He would be watching over them to do them harm by bringing the sword and famine upon them until they were all destroyed. Then it would become known whose word would come true, His or theirs. All Jews that lived in Egypt would be given a sign to know when Jehovah’s word would be fulfilled: Pharaoh Hophra would be handed over to King Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah Chapter 45

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Baruch after writing Jeremiah’s words on the scroll became rather discouraged because of what was prophesied for the city. He may have been expecting something significant to happen for him, but it would not if the city was to be destroyed. The NIV Bible Commentary, Volume I, page 1250, says this of Baruch: “Baruch came from an influential family of noble birth. He was the grandson of Maaseiah (cf. 32:12), governor of Jerusalem in Josiah’s reign (cf. 2 Ch 34:8). His brother had been chief chamberlain in the court of Zedekiah (cf. 51:59). He may have had hopes of attaining a high office or even of receiving the gift of prophecy.” Jehovah said to him that He was going to tear down what He had built up and uproot what He had planted. Baruch then was not to seek great things for himself because of the disaster that Jehovah was going to bring on the land. The only thing that Jehovah promised that he would escape with was his life.

Jeremiah Chapter 46

This chapter concerns the Jehovah’s judgments upon Egypt. It was given after the Babylonian army defeated Pharaoh Neco at Carchemish in the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. This battle proved to be one of the decisive battles in history as the mighty Assyrian army was also defeated and thus began the rise of the Babylonians as a world power. The Egyptian army had their large and small shields readied. They harnessed the horses, put their helmets and armor on and took their polished spears. They were prepared to win a great victory. But something terrified them and their warriors began to flee in haste but they would not escape declared Jehovah. They would stumble and fall in battle.

Egypt had boasted that she would rise and cover the earth destroying cities and their people. So Egypt charged ahead with all of their mercenary soldiers from Cush, Put and Lydia. But they had not counted on Jehovah intervening in their plans. This would be a day that He would take vengeance on His foe. Egypt is told to go to Gilead and get balm although there will be no healing for her. She would suffer shame because her warriors would be ineffectual.

An announcement is to be proclaimed in Egypt that they should prepare for the sword, which will devour her warrior because Jehovah will cause them to stumble and fall. Egypt’s mercenary troops will say that they should return to their own lands to escape the sword of the Babylonian army because Pharaoh had bragged that he could defeat the Babylonians but his words were only a lot of noise. The Egyptians were told to pack their bags for exile because their land was going to be made into a waste without inhabitants.

Egypt is compared to a heifer against whom a gadfly from the north would come and all of her mercenary troops will desert her because of the disaster they see coming upon her. The enemy troops would come against her with axes, as would men who cut down trees. They are too numerous to count and Egypt will be handed over to the people of the north. Jehovah will punish the gods of Egypt, her kings and all who rely on her. But later Egypt will again be inhabited as in times past.

Jehovah tells Jacob not to be dismayed because He will save them and their descendants from their land of exile. Jacob will enjoy peace and security in his own land and no one will make him afraid. Although Jehovah will completely destroy all the nations where He scattered them, He would not completely destroy them; but they would have to be punished to the proper degree and their punishment would be in harmony with their sins.

Jeremiah Chapter 47

Jeremiah records Jehovah’s words against the Philistines before the Babylonians came up against them. This army is described as flooding waters that come from the north and overflows the land, the towns and the people of Philistia. The people will cry out when they hear the sound of the horses’ hoofs and the rumble of the chariot wheels. Everyone will be so frightened that even parents will not help their own children. This is the day that the Philistines will be completely cut off and they will not be able to offer any help to Tyre or Sidon. Shaving their heads bald and cutting themselves is a sign of the deep mourning they would experience because of Jehovah’s sword that would come against the Philistines.

Jeremiah Chapter 48

Jehovah said concerning Moab that her cities will be captured and disgrace will be brought upon her as men plot to bring about her downfall. Cries of destruction will be heard coming from her cities. The people are told to flee because the destroyer will lay waste to all of Moab’s towns and none of them will escape. If the destroying army becomes lax in doing Jehovah’s work and withholds his sword from bloodshed, he will be cursed. Moab is described as having been at rest because no one had taken her into exile but Jehovah has decreed that she will be treated roughly and she will become ashamed of her god, Chemosh, as it will not able to help her. Jehovah’s word against Moab will stand.

Moab will have no reason to boast as her warriors will not prove to be valiant men and they will be slaughtered because her fall is near. Because of her fame as a great nation, her neighbors will mourn because her authority and rulership have been broken. Those who live in Dibon, a city in the territory of Rueben and Gad, are told to humble themselves because the one who destroys Moab will also come up against them. The people of Aroer, a fortified city located on the Arnon River, are told to ask the people fleeing from Moab what had happened. They will say that Moab has been destroyed and judgment has been executed on all the cities in the plateau. Moab’s strength and military power are now completely broken.

Jehovah has decreed that she will be given wine to make her drunk and she will have to wallow in her vomit. She will become an object of ridicule just as she ridiculed Israel and treated her as though she were a thief. Moab is urged to leave her towns and live the life of a wanderer. Moab was well known for her pride, her conceit, arrogance and haughtiness of heart but Jehovah knows that her boastings will bring her nothing. Since Moab was famous for her vineyards, Jeremiah compares her to a vineyard that has been denuded by the destroyer. All gladness is gone as no one treads the grapes and no wine flows from the winepresses. The shouts heard coming from her are not those of joy but of sorrow. Also Jehovah is determined to put an end to the offerings made to the idols of Moab.

Even Jeremiah would mourn for Moab as all of the wealth they accumulated is gone and there are signs of mourning everywhere because she has been broken like a jar that no one wants. The swiftness of the conquering army is described as an eagle that spreads its wing over Moab as it swoops down to seize its prey. Her warriors will be of no help to her and she will be completely devastated as a nation. This is Jehovah’s punishment upon her because of her defiance of Him and there is nothing she can do to avoid this judgment. Moab will be taken into exile yet Jehovah says that in future days He will restore her fortunes.

Jeremiah Chapter 49

Judgments are pronounced against the Ammonites because they have taken possession of the territory of Gad and their people were living in the towns of Gad along with their god, Molech. Jehovah will sound the battle cry against their capital city, Rabbah, and it will become a ruin. Those who dwell in her cities should put on sackcloth and mourn because their god, Molech, was about to be taken into exile along with the priests and officials. Mountains surrounded Ammon on three sides, so she thought that she was impregnable. She was also boastful about her fruitful valleys and the riches that she had accumulated. But Jehovah would bring terror on them and they would scatter with no one to re-gather them. Jehovah will, in future days, restore the fortunes of the Ammonites.

Disaster is also to come upon Edom, which their wise men would not be able to foresee. Dedan, a city located south of Edom and well known for it trading with Edom, are encouraged to get away from Edom because disaster is about to come upon it. Edom will be stripped bare and nothing will be concealed from the invaders. Yet Jehovah says that He will protect the widows and orphans of Edom. But Edom must be punished just as all the other nations will be; they must drink the cup that Jehovah has dispensed. Jehovah has sent envoys to the nation that He will use against them telling them to prepare for the battle against Edom.

Although Edom was located on a high mountain, Jehovah would bring her down and make her insignificant among the nations. He would become an object of astonishment to all that pass by and no one will ever live there. Jehovah would chase Edom from her land with the fierceness of a lion. He would drag the young of the flock away and destroy their pasture. The earth would shake when they fell and the sound of destruction would reverberate as far as the Red Sea. The illustration of the eagle swooping down to pick up its prey is again used here to describe the swiftness of Edom’s destruction. There is no statement of restoration given here for Edom as with Moab and Ammon.

Jehovah’s judgment message is now given against Damascus. Her three major cities were dismayed and disheartened because of the bad news they had heard. Panic and anguish have taken control of her and she is in pain like a woman in labor. Her young men and her soldiers will be killed in battle and her walls will be set on fire.

Kedar is next in line for judgment from Jehovah. These people were nomadic descendants of Ishmael. They were famous for their large flocks and the black tents that they made and for being war-like as they were skilled archers. Jehovah commanded that the king of Babylon should attack Kedar and destroy her and to carry off all of her goods so that she would experience terror on all sides. Not much is known about the location of Hazor today but it was one of the eastern nations that would fall victim to the king of Babylon’s might. They were a nation living at ease and in confidence having neither gates nor bars. But all that they possessed would become plunder and their people would be scattered and the city would become a desolated place without human inhabitants.

During the reign of Zedekiah, Jehovah gave Jeremiah his judgment message against Elam. Elam was located in what is now known as Iran and their men were very skillful archers. The Babylonians break their bows and scatter them to the every nation, which will be an expression of Jehovah’s wrath against them. He would pursue them with the sword until they were exterminated. Jehovah would set his throne in Elam in order to destroy their king and officials. In later days, He would restore the fortunes of Elam.

Jeremiah Chapter 50

Jeremiah now reports Jehovah’s judgment message against Babylon. These events apply to the actual city of Babylon in a typical sense only as the major portion of this prophecy will be fulfilled upon a future Babylon. A proclamation is to be sounded among the nations that Babylon will be captured and her gods will be put to shame. She herself will be attacked by a nation from the north. Literal Babylon was overthrown by Cyrus who was from Persia which was east of her. Her land will be laid waste with no one living in it. Literal Babylon survived nearly four hundred years after her fall to the Medes and Persians.

At that time, Israel and Judah will together return and seek Jehovah. They will turn their attention to Zion and will bind themselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant. Hosea prophesied that Israel would be without a king and without a means of approaching Jehovah for a time but would later return to their God, Jehovah. (Hosea 3:4, 5) Israel’s shepherds have led her astray and have caused her to wander about forgetting their own land. Those who found her devoured her and thought that they had done nothing wrong. What happened to Israel was her own fault because she had sinned against her God, Jehovah.

God’s people who are in Babylon are advised to flee out of her before destruction comes upon her. Jehovah is bringing an alliance of nations against her all of whom are skilled with the bow and arrow. Those who plunder her will receive their fill, as Babylon was located in a very fertile agricultural area. Jehovah calls her to account because she rejoiced when she pillaged His people. She will be disgraced and will become the least of the nations, a wilderness with no one to inhabit her. The armies of the nations are commanded to take their positions around her and draw their bows against her because she has sinned against Jehovah. He directs that vengeance is to be taken against her as what she has done to others will be done to her. All foreigners living in her are to flee to their own land before the oppressor comes.

Israel had first been conquered by the Assyrians and then later by the Babylonians. Therefore Jehovah would punish the king of Babylon as he had done to the king of Assyria. He would bring Israel back to his land and they would be satisfied with His bountiful provisions and He will forgive the sins of his people. ‘Merathaim’ means double rebellion and ‘Pekod’ means punishment [from the Lord] so Jehovah will attack the land of double rebellion and bring punishment upon her. (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Volume I, page 1200)

Jehovah set a trap for Babylon and she was caught in it before she was aware of it. Jehovah has brought out the weapons of His wrath and He will come against her to completely destroy her leaving not even a remnant to her. The fugitives from Babylon are in Zion telling how Jehovah took vengeance for His temple. Archers are to be summoned to surround Babylon so that no one will escape. She need to be repaid for her deeds in defying Jehovah so her young men will all be killed. Jehovah is against her because of her arrogance and she will stumble and fall. He will start a fire that will consume all around her.

The captors of Israel and Judah oppress them and they refuse to let them go. But their redeemer is Jehovah the Almighty God who will vigorously defend them until He brings them rest in their land. There is to be a sword against the people of Babylon, against her officials, wise men and false prophets. They will all be made to look like fools. The sword will also be against her soldiers and their horses and chariots, against the foreigners in her ranks and her treasures that will be plundered. Her waters will dry up and terror will afflict her idols. No human will ever live there again and it will become the habitation of desert creatures. She will resemble Sodom and Gomorrah after Jehovah overthrew these cities.

Jehovah has raised up a great army from the ends of the earth who are very well armed and they are cruel and merciless. As they ride toward Babylon, their horses sound like the roaring of the sea. The king of Babylon has heard the report about them and anguish grips him and his hands hang limp. As a lion pounces and scatters his prey, so Babylon will be chased from her land in an instant.

Jeremiah Chapter 51

Jehovah will stir up a destroyer against Babylon and they will winnow her as one does grain. It will be to no avail that their archers put on their armor because they will all be slain in her streets. Israel and Judah will then be able to flee from Babylon so as not to share in her sins. (Revelation 18:4) Babylon had been used by Jehovah to execute judgment upon the other nations but now she will fall and be mourned. Her allies will try to heal her using a soothing balm but it will not help as she cannot be healed as her sins reach to the clouds. (Revelation 18:5) So these ones will leave her alone and return to their own land. Jehovah will have vindicated His people.

“Leb Kamia”, (verse 1) according to the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1259, “is Hebrew for “the heart of those who rise against me;” it is a cipher for Chaldea.”

Jehovah stirs up the kings of the Medes to carry out His purpose to destroy Babylon. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, page 1202, says of these kings: “This could allude to the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. to the Medo-Persians (cf. Dan. 5:31) or, more probably, it could indicate that one of the future kings who will invade Babylon will come from the area controlled by the Medes (i.e., what is today northern Iran).” Jehovah will take vengeance upon Babylon because of what she did to his temple. Babylon is spoken of as living by many waters and being rich in treasures. (Revelation 17:1; 18:11-16) Jehovah will send so many men against her that they will appear to be as many as a swarm of locust. Jeremiah then describes the superiority of Jehovah over the all the gods of Babylon. The gods that the Babylonians have made will bring them nothing but shame because they will prove to be worthless. But Israel’s God will prove superior because He is the maker of all things.

Scholars are divided on just who verses 20 –23 have reference to. Some say that it is Babylon that Jehovah used as a war club, while others believe that it is the Medes and Persians under Cyrus. Babylon will now have to be repaid for the wrongs they did in Zion. Although she was once referred to as a destroying mountain, she will become a burned out mountain. Her ruin will be so complete that no one will take a stone from her to use to rebuild something else.

A banner will be lifted up and a trumpet will sound among the nations to summon them to prepare for the battle against Babylon. Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz are nations that the Medes controled and they are called upon to help them in their fight against Babylon. Jehovah purposes that Babylon should be left a wasteland with no one living there. Her soldiers will give up the fight because of terror and exhaustion. The Medes will set the city on fire and break the bars that hold the gates closed. Messengers will go to the king of Babylon announcing that she had been captured. Babylon will be like a threshing floor that is trampled to prepare for the harvest that will soon come.

The inhabitants of Zion complained that Babylon had swallowed them and filled his stomach with their delicacies, and then had vomited them out. They are asking Jehovah to avenge the violence that has been done to them by Babylon and to require back from his hands their blood. Jehovah declares that He will defend them and avenge them. He will dry up her waters and make her a heap of ruins where no one lives. (Revelation 16:4) Babylon is likened to lion cubs for whom Jehovah will set out a feast for but who will, in a drunken stupor, fall into a deep sleep from which they will not awaken. They will be led like lambs to the slaughter.

Babylon, who had boasted over all other nations, will be captured and will become an object of horror among them. She will disappear as though the sea had risen to cover her. No one will travel through her because of her desolated appearance. Her god, Bel, will be made to give up all the nations that he had conquered and her great walls will fall. Therefore, God’s people are again urged to come out of her and flee from the wrath of Jehovah. They are not to become fearful of the rumors that will be heard in the land concerning violence of one ruler against another. They must keep in mind that it is Jehovah’s purpose to punish the idols of Babylon by killing all of her people. When Babylon is attacked, then heaven and earth will rejoice over her destruction.

Because of the violence done to Israel and all of the other nations, Babylon must herself fall victim to violence. When this occurs, Israel must set her face towards her land and remember Jerusalem and the insults, disgrace and shame that they suffered because of the desecration brought upon this city when foreigners entered into it. Jehovah has not forgotten this and He will punish Babylon no matter how she fortifies her stronghold. He will completely destroy her. Jehovah is a God of retribution and he repays his enemies in full. Babylon’s thick walls will fall and her gates will be set on fire and all of the work done by people to build these will have been done in vain. The walls of Babylon were reputed to be wide enough that a chariot could turn around on it.

Jeremiah wrote this judgment message against Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah and he entrusted it to Seraiah, the staff officer and brother of Baruch, who was going to Babylon with Zedekiah. As soon as he arrive in Babylon, he was to read to message aloud and tell the people that Jehovah was going to destroy Babylon and no man nor animal would ever live in it again. Then he was to take a stone and tie the scroll to it and throw it into the Euphrates River and say that this would be the way the Babylon would sink and would rise no more because of the disaster Jehovah would bring upon her.

Jeremiah Chapter 52

The account of the reign of Zedekiah given in this chapter can also found in the books of 2 Kings chapter 25, 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and Jeremiah chapter 39. Zedekiah became king at the age of twenty-one and he reigned for eleven years. He did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes just as his brother, Jehoiakim, had done. He was a vassal to King Nebuchadnezzar because he had put him on the throne. But He rebelled against him, so in his ninth year of rulership, Nebuchadnezzar, with his entire army, came up against him. He built siege works all around the city and kept it under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year. The Babylonians broke through the walls in the fourth month of this year and the Judean army along with Zedekiah fled the city. The Babylonian army pursued them and caught Zedekiah and took him to Riblah in Hamath where Nebuchadnezzar was headquartered and there he pronounced judgment upon him. He killed his three sons and blinded Zedekiah and bound him in shackles and took him to Babylon where he remained in prison until his death.

In the fifth month, Nebuzaradan, commander of the Imperial Guard, set fire to the temple, the royal palace, all the houses and important buildings in Jerusalem. They then broke down the walls surrounding the city. He gathered all of the people that he was taking to Babylon and the poorest people he left behind to work in the fields and vineyards. All of the articles of the temple that had been left after he took Jehoiachin to Babylon were now taken to Babylon. The bronze sea, the bronze pillars and the movable stands were broken into pieces and were also taken to Babylon.

Nebuzaradan took Seraiah, the chief priest and Zephaniah, the second priest and three of the doorkeepers along with the officers in charge of the fighting men, seven royal advisers, the secretary in charge of conscripting the people and sixty of his men as prisoners and brought them to Riblah where Nebuchadnezzar had them executed. Jehovah’s words had now come true, Judah was taken in exile.

The total number of people taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar as given in verses 28 is only three thousand and twenty-three. In 2 Kings 24:14, the number of captives given is ten thousand. Verse 16 of 2 Kings includes seven thousand fighting men, which if added to this number in verse 28, will make a total of ten thousand taken captive in Nebuchadnezzar’s seventh/eighth year when he removed Jehoiachin from the throne. Verse 29 says that 832 people were taken into exile in his eighteenth/nineteenth year when Jerusalem was destroyed. This seems reasonable since Jehovah had declared that the majority of those left in Jerusalem would die by the sword, famine and plague. (24:10) The number of captives taken in his twenty-third year as given in verse 30 cannot be verified.

In the thirty-seventh year of his exile, Jehoiachin was released from his prison cell by Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon. He gave him a seat of honor above all the other kings that were with him and Jehoiachin ate at his table until his death.

Lamentations Chapter 1

The curses pronounced in Jehovah’s law have now come upon the land especially those recorded in Deuteronomy 28: 15-68. The city of Jerusalem that was once so full of people now lies deserted resembling the state of a widow. Rather than being like a queen she is now a slave. She weeps bitterly but all of her friends have deserted her and have become her enemies and do not come to comfort her. She has gone into exile and no longer has a place of rest. The roads to Zion are deserted because no one travels them to come to celebrate her appointed feasts. Her enemies are her masters because of the many sins she committed against Jehovah. She has lost all of her children as they have gone into captivity. She has lost her splendid temple and even her princes have acted in a cowardly manner leaving the flock to the mercy of the invader.

Her thoughts go back to what she had possessed in her heyday. But when she fell into the hands of the enemy, there was no one to come to her aid. Her enemies simply laughed at her in a scornful manner. She is compared to a prostitute who is unclean and despised by everyone because they have seen her nakedness. She gave no consideration to what her end would be if she continued in her course of disobedience. Therefore she has suffered a great collapse with her enemies triumphing over her. They took all of her treasures and they defiled her sanctuary. Her people are starving and have to exchange their treasures for food. Those passing by her would be able to see all the suffering that Jehovah has brought upon her because of His great anger.

Her sins are like a yoke that Jehovah has put upon her neck and handed her over to foreigners. He has summoned an army to put all her young men to death. So her eyes overflow with tears because of these things and there is no one to comfort her. Jehovah has commanded that her neighbors should treat her as something unclean. The God that she worships is righteous and she has rebelled against His commands. Her allies betray her and her priest and elders perished in the city while searching for food. She confesses to Jehovah the distress and torment that she is in because of her rebellion. There is death both inside and outside the city. Her enemies rejoice because of her discipline so she asked that Jehovah would bring upon them their punishment so they would be just as she is now groaning in her flesh.

Lamentations Chapter 2

Jehovah brought the glory of Israel, her temple, down from its place of eminence and He has forgotten about his footstool. He has not spared any of Judah’s dwelling places nor her strongholds. He has even brought dishonor upon her kingdom and its rulers. When the enemy approached the land, He withdrew his hand of support and allowed Jacob to become a flaming fire consuming everything around her. He became like an enemy to them multiplying mourning and lamenting. He destroyed the place where He would meet with them effectively canceling their appointed feasts and Sabbaths even rejecting their king and their priests. He rejected His altar and His sanctuary and delivered them into the hands of the enemy.

Jehovah was determined to bring destruction upon Jerusalem’s wall of protection, her leadership, by sending them into exile. Without a temple the priesthood was not effective so the law was gone and the prophets were not given any vision from Jehovah. The elders put on sackcloth and put dust on their heads and sit in silence on the ground. Jeremiah could do nothing but cry as he watched the destruction of his people where infants and children were asking their mothers for food as they were starving. He wanted to offer comfort but her wound was so severe that there was no healing. Their prophets had given them false visions and had not put their sins before them so that they might have repented and avoided captivity. But they chose to listen to lies rather than to Jehovah.

Jerusalem had once been known as the city that was perfect in beauty, the joy of the earth. But now everyone mocked and derided her as they rejoiced in her destruction because they had secretly hoped for this. Jehovah had warned Judah that this would happen to them and they had not listened. So now Jehovah had brought about what He had purposed, to exalt her enemies over her. Jerusalem is told to cry out to Jehovah incessantly letting their tears run like a river day and night. They are to pray for their starving children. Jerusalem asks Jehovah to pay attention to what they were going through. Mothers were eating their own children’s flesh, priest and prophets were being killed in the sanctuary, old and young alike were being killed by the sword with no one being spared. They needed to remember that all of this occurred because of Jehovah’s fierce anger being poured out on them.

Lamentations Chapter 3

In this chapter, many scholars believe that Jeremiah is speaking about the afflictions he suffered during the siege but he may have been putting himself in Israel’s place, so to speak. Rather than walking in light, he was now being driven to walk in darkness and it appeared that Jehovah had turned His hand against him. His flesh and skin were wearing out and he was suffering inner torment and bitterness. He felt like someone who had been dead for a long time, that is, he had been forgotten. Jehovah had not even heard his prayer for help. It appeared that his way of escape had been blocked and in whatever direction he would go, it only led away from freedom. Whatever pathway he took, it would be beset with dangers.

He believed that Jehovah was using him as His target and would shoot arrows into his heart. He became the laughingstock of the people and they would mock him in their songs. He had been filled with bitterness and trampled underfoot. All semblance of peace was gone, happiness was only a dream and he was filled with despair. Yet when he remembered Jehovah’s love and his compassion, he knew that there was hope and that he would have to quietly wait for Jehovah to act. Israel would need to do the same thing. They needed to develop the proper attitude towards suffering. Those who bore the yoke that had been put upon them, kept their trust in Jehovah, accepted the afflictions that they were under, would have hope.

Jehovah would not cast his people off forever; discipline is only a temporary matter. He always tempers suffering with compassion and love and it gives Him no joy to have to bring punishment. Whenever humans perpetrate injustice upon other humans denying them their rights before Him, Jehovah takes notice of these things and He will call them to account for what they are doing. But there are times when, in His view, punishment must be meted out due to the sins committed against Him. In this case, humans then would have no grounds upon which to base a complaint against Him. Israel needs to examine herself, admit that she has sinned and confess her sins to Jehovah. This way she shows that she recognized that He is within His rights to bring judgment upon them because of their rebellion against Him. Jeremiah continues to shed many tears because of the destitute condition of his people. He will do so until Jehovah keeps His promise to release Israel from captivity.

Jeremiah now recounts the treatment he received at the hands of his own people. He was hunted as one would hunt a bird and when they found him, they threw him into a pit where they hoped he would die. But he called on Jehovah and He assured him that He would help him. Jehovah then took up his cause and removed him from danger. He knew that Jehovah was aware of the plots they had made against him and how they had mocked him. He asked Jehovah to pay them back what they deserved. A veil should cover their hearts and Jehovah’s curse should be upon them so that they would be destroyed because of His anger against them.

Lamentations Chapter 4

Israel’s condition during the siege is described as being like gold that has become dull and as sacred gems that have been cast off. This people that was once viewed as precious sons are now considered to be no better that clay pots and pans fashioned by a potter. They have become cruel and heartless not even showing the kindness that animals show to their young. Their own children are dying of thirst and hunger and no one cares about them. There is famine everywhere and those who once had plenty are lying in dust heaps in a destitute condition. Israel’s condition is described as being worse that what happened to Sodom. Sodom was destroyed very quickly but the siege on Jerusalem lasted for a long time. Those dying by the sword are said to be much better off than those dying by the famine because they slowly waste away. Conditions in Jerusalem are so severe that once compassionate mothers are now cooking their children and eating them to stay alive.

Jehovah has poured out his full wrath, which reached down to the very foundations of the nation. Jerusalem’s defenses were such that it was believed that the city was impregnable. But now the gates of Jerusalem are open wide for anyone to enter, all because of the sins of her prophets and priests who lied to the people and shed lots of innocent blood. Because of this they have become so defiled that they are treated like a leper would be. Even as they are scattered among the nations, they are treated with disdain and contempt.

Israel looks in vain for help from their allies who did not come to her aid. They recognized that their end was very near. They were chased and hunted down by their enemy who even caught their king, whom they believed would keep them safe, and took him into captivity. Jeremiah turns his attention to Edom who was rejoicing over what was happening to Israel. He reminded them that they too would drink from the same cup that Israel drank from and they would be punished. Israel’s punishment would have an end but Edom’s would continue. (Obadiah 18; Ezekiel 35:14, 14)

Lamentations Chapter 5

Jehovah is called upon to pay attention to the condition of His people. Their land and houses have been given to strangers; they have become as defenseless and vulnerable as widow and orphans. All of their necessities had to be purchased and the enemy was constantly pursuing them so that they could not find any rest. They had even relied upon Egypt and Assyria to make them feel secure. They began to feel that because of the sins of their fathers, they were now suffering under the hand of unfit rulers. They eat at the risk of their own lives, their women are raped, their princes and elder are tortured and the young men have to do the work that once was done by animals. Civil justice no longer existed and all joy and happiness had been replaced by mourning. The glory of Jerusalem had been removed because of their sin.

Israel now petitioned Jehovah, whose throne endures forever, not continue to leave them in a forsaken condition indefinitely but that He should act to restore them to their former condition. They could be confident that He would bring about their restoration because He had vowed not to reject them completely. (Leviticus 26:44)

Ezekiel Chapter 1

In Ezekiel’s thirtieth year while he was among the exiles in Babylon, he was given visions of Jehovah. This was also the fifth year of the exile of Jehoiachin. Ezekiel was then commissioned to be a prophet of Jehovah. Since he was a priest, had he been in Jerusalem, he would have begun his ministry at the temple at this time.

In his first vision, he saw, in the midst of a windstorm, an immense cloud coming from the north accompanied by flashes of fire and a bright light surrounding it. In the center of the cloud there was the appearance of glowing metal in the midst of fire. He saw in the fire four living creatures whose form was that of a man but each had four faces and four wings, one wing on each of their four sides. They were standing upright and their feet resembled those of a calf’s hoof that was of highly polished bronze. Under each of their four wings they had the hand of a man. These four creatures moved straight ahead as a unit and they did not turn their bodies as they moved.

One of their faces was that of a man, apparently it faced forward. On the right side there was the face of a lion, on the left side, the face of a bull, and on the back, the face of an eagle. Two of their four wings covered their bodies and two of them were spread out upward and touched the wings of the creature beside him and behind him. Their formation was box-like with one creature at each corner. They were prompted to move in harmony with the direction that the spirit moved without turning as they went. There was something like torches of fire darting among them. These creatures moved with the speed of lightening.

Alongside each creature was a wheel that sparkled with a yellow-green glow. Each wheel had another wheel that intersected it at right angles enabling it to go in four directions along with the living creatures without turning. Their rims were exceedingly high and were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved with them as the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

There was an expanse above the heads of the living creatures that resembled sparkling crystal. When the living creatures moved, their wings sounded like the roar of rushing water, the tumult of an army or like thunder. When they stood still, they lowered their wings and then Ezekiel could hear a voice coming from the expanse. He now noticed that above this expanse there was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire and a figure that looked like a man was seated on it. From his waist upward, he had the appearance of glowing metal and fire and the appearance of fire from the waist downward. There was a radiance all around him that was like a rainbow. To Ezekiel, it was like the glory of God and he fell face down and heard the voice of the one speaking.

Ezekiel Chapter 2

Ezekiel will now receive his commission as a prophet. The voice said to him that he should stand on his feet so that he could speak to him. The spirit entered him and raised him to his feet and the voice told him that he was sending him to the rebellious nation of Israel who were even at this day revolting against him. They are described as obstinate and stubborn and even though Ezekiel tells them ‘Thus says Jehovah,’ they most likely would not listen to him, but they would know that a prophet had been among them. Even after being in exile for five years, the people still did not believe that they would have to spend more than a few years in Babylon.

Ezekiel was not to be afraid of them or their words even though they were like briers, thorns and even harmful scorpions. He must speak Jehovah’s words to them whether they listened or not. Ezekiel was told to open his mouth and eat the words told to him. He saw a hand that had a scroll in it and the scroll was unrolled before him. He noticed that there was writing on both sides of it and the words contained therein were laments, mourning and woes.

Ezekiel Chapter 3

Ezekiel was then given the scroll and told to eat it and then he was to go and speak to the house of Israel. When Ezekiel ate the scroll it tasted as sweet as honey. (Revelation 10:9) He was then told that he was being sent to the house of Israel, not to a people who spoke a foreign language that he would not be able to understand. If he were being sent to them, they would surely listen. But the house of Israel to whom he was being sent would not listen to him because they would not listen to his words. They had hard foreheads in that they were determined to be defiant against Jehovah and Ezekiel would be given a forehead as hard as flint so that his determination would not waver in the face of their opposition. The voice told him that he would be speaking to a rebellious people but he was not to be fearful of them. Whether they would listen or not, he would tell them that ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD [Jehovah] says.’ He was then transported back to Tel Abib where the exiles were living by the spirit and he sat among them for seven day stunned at what he had just experienced.

At the end of the seven days, Ezekiel heard the voice that had spoken to him earlier and it told him he would be assigned as a watchman for the house of Israel. He would need to give warning of impending judgment from Jehovah upon the house of Israel. So he was admonished to listen careful to the words being spoken because he would need to give a warning to both the wicked and the righteous. If he says that a wicked man is to die, he must be warned so that he can change his ways. If the watchman does not warn him then they both will die. But if the wicked man is warned and he does not turn from his wickedness, then he will die but the watchman will have saved himself. If a righteous man turns from doing righteousness and does evil and he received no warning but continued doing evil, then he will die and his blood will be on the watchman. But if the watchman did warn the righteous man and he paid heed to the warning, then he will continue living and the watchman will have saved himself also.

Ezekiel was told to go out to the plain so that he could receive more information. When he got there, he saw the ‘glory of Jehovah’ that had spoken to him earlier. He was told that he was to shut himself in his house and he would be restrained so that he could not go among the people. He would also be made mute so that he could not reprove the people for their rebelliousness. When the appropriate time comes for him to speak, he would say to them that ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD [Jehovah] says,’ and it will be up to each individual as to whether they will listen or refuse to listen.

Ezekiel Chapter 4

Ezekiel is now told to take a clay tablet and draw the city of Jerusalem upon it. Then he would erect siegeworks against it. He was to build a siege wall, build a ramp up to the wall, set up campsites around the wall and put battering rams around it. Then he was to take an iron plate and put it between himself and the city to act as an iron wall. He was then to besiege the city. This was to be a sign to the house of Israel. Ezekiel was depicting the exact means by which Nebuchadnezzar would besiege the city to bring it down.

Ezekiel was then told to put the sins of Judah and Israel upon himself by lying on his left and right sides for a specific number of days. He was to lie on his left side, facing the city in a northerly direction, for 390 days, which represented the number of years that sin was charged to the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. After he completed these days, he was to lie on his right side, facing the city looking in a southerly direction, for 40 days, which represented the number of years that sin was charged to the two-tribe kingdom of Judah. During this time period, Ezekiel would be tied in his position so that he could not change positions until the time was up.

Ezekiel was to also eat and drink rationed food and water during these time periods to represent the conditions that would exist during the time that Jerusalem was under siege. He was to put some grains in storage jars and use these to make his bread cooking it over human excrement. But Ezekiel objected to the use of human excrement and was told that he could use the excrement of animals instead.



NOTE: Bible translations used in this commentary are the New American Standard Bible (NAS), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New International Version (NIV).

***©2005 by YORWW Congregation