Bible Commentaries

C. Historical Appendix to Jeremiah 32:1-5

( Jeremiah 34:1-7)

From the introductory words to chh32 and 33we perceive that the event, which is here narrated ( Jeremiah 34:1-7), falls in the 10th year of Zedekiah, since the conference, in consequence of which Jeremiah was confined in the court of the prison ( Jeremiah 32:3), must be that of which we have an account in this passage. Both passages agree almost verbatim in the announcement of the fate impending on the king and the city (comp. Jeremiah 32:3-5 with Jeremiah 34:2-3); especially is the phrase “ thy mouth shall speak to His mouth, thine eyes shall see His eyes ” peculiar to both. What is said in Jeremiah 34:4-5 of the fate of Zedekiah is found in a condensed form in Jeremiah 32:5 in the words, “ and there shall he be until I visit him.” The concluding words of Jeremiah 32:5 “ though ye fight, etc,” are not found in Jeremiah 34. (comp. rems. on Jeremiah 32:1-5).— Jeremiah 34:1-7 is therefore evidently the special report, written by Jeremiah himself of his conference with Zedekiah. In consequence of this conference he was thrown back into the court, notwithstanding his favorable announcement to Zedekiah, Jeremiah 34:4-5. The king might have expected something better from, the prophet, as he approached when not called for. It was after this return to the court that Jeremiah received the revelation contained in chh32. and33. The event narrated in Jeremiah 34:1-7 also precedes these two chapters in the order of time. The report of it, perhaps written by the prophet immediately after the interview, is however, as a brief isolated passage, added as an appendix. It is evident that the conversation with Zedekiah did not long precede the facts related in chh32, 33, from the circumstance that the confinement of Jeremiah in the court, which is spoken of in Jeremiah 32:3 as a consequence of the conversation, was properly a remanding to prison. If then the first confinement, as appears from Jeremiah 37:17-21, especially Jeremiah 34:21, falls in the last period of the siege, after the return of the Chaldeans from their diversion against the Egyptians (B. C. 687), the second incarceration cannot be placed earlier, but must be ascribed to a somewhat later date of the same year.

Jeremiah 34:1-7

1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the .Lord [Jehovah] when [or while] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the ¹ earth, of [subject to, lit., the dominion of His hand] His dominion, and all the 2 people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of 3 Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire: And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth,² and 4 thou shalt go to Babylon. Yet [only] hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king 5 of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: But thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings³ of thy fathers the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odors⁴ for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah [alas] lord! for I have pronounced the word [spoken a word], saith 6 the Lord. Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king 7 of Judah in Jerusalem. When [while] the king of Babylon’s army [power] fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

During the siege ( Jeremiah 34:1) Jeremiah receives command to go and announce to king Zedekiah that the city will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon and burned ( Jeremiah 34:2). Zedekiah himself will be captured, brought before the king, and carried to Babylon ( Jeremiah 34:3). Yet he will not perish by the sword ( Jeremiah 34:4), but die in peace and be interred with royal honors, after the traditional manner ( Jeremiah 34:6). Jeremiah executed his commission punctually ( Jeremiah 34:5) at the time when Jerusalem and the still uncaptured fortified cities of Lachish and Azekah were being besieged ( Jeremiah 34:7).

Jeremiah 34:1-5. The word … saith Jehovah. The style in Jeremiah 34:1-2 bears the character of great diffuseness, such as is peculiar to Jeremiah in the later period of his ministry. Hence such phrases as all the people, Jeremiah 34:1, and tell him, Jeremiah 34:2, which strictly taken are superfluous, need not surprise us.—Of the dominion of his hand. This addition is a restriction and definition of the earth; not all kingdoms of the earth, but of the earth in so far as it was the “dominion of his hand.” Comp. Jeremiah 51:28; 1 Kings 9:19.—Go, etc. Two questions here present themselves which it is not easy to answer1. How is the conference with Zedekiah here narrated connected with the other mentioned in Jeremiah 32:3; Jeremiah 37:17? 2. What relation does that bear which is said in Jeremiah 34:4-5 of Zedekiah’s end, to the other declarations concerning it ( Jeremiah 39:5-7; Jeremiah 52:9-11; 2 Kings 25:6-7)? These two questions seem to be heterogeneous. There is, however, a close connection between them, for which reason we investigate the second question here instead of at Jeremiah 34:4-5.

Are the words of the prophet in Jeremiah 34:2-5 to be understood in a good sense for Zedekiah, or as a menace? All depends on the understanding of the sentence yet hear, etc., Jeremiah 34:4. Venema, Chr. B. Michaelis, Hitzig and Graf are of opinion that this sentence proposes an exceptional case, viz., in case Zedekiah obeys the command to give himself up to the Chaldeans the threatening pronounced against him in Jeremiah 34:3 will not be fulfilled, but he will die in quiet possession of his throne. The reasons urged for this explanation are: The pleasant prospect, which in Jeremiah 34:4-5 is placed before Zedekiah, would contradict the elsewhere constantly repeated exhortation to surrender himself; it would also be otherwise too favorable. Here it is presupposed that Jeremiah 34:5 can be understood only of the quiet possession of the throne and of a peaceful end and honorable interment, which Zedekiah will receive as the reigning king. Aside from Jeremiah 34:4 a, this explanation would certainly be possible. It is, however, also possible to understand Jeremiah 34:5 as an antithesis to “thou shalt not die by the sword,” not a violent death in battle, but a natural, peaceful end. This might be, even if Zedekiah died a prisoner (comp. Jeremiah 52:11), as imprisonment is not necessarily a hinderance to the usual funeral obsequies. The Jews were generally well treated while in captivity,—many of them enjoyed the favor of the rulers, and excited the envy of the natives by their preferment, and most of them were undesirous of returning to their native land.—Jehoiachin was elevated to royal honors after twenty-seven years, confinement ( Jeremiah 52:31). Why may not Zedekiah have been kept in mild imprisonment and permission have been given to the Jews after his death to bury their king according to the custom of their country? This appears to be the only possible explanation, as the sentence “Thus saith the Lord of thee,” Jeremiah 34:4 b, cannot be other than a summary of the word of God, which, according to Jeremiah 34:4 a, Zedekiah is to hear. I leave out of account that the other explanation would require “Listen to” or “Heed” the word, and also a designation of the divine word to which Zedekiah is to listen. But it would be indispensable that “hear the word,” etc., should be plainly designated as a condition, and what follows as a consequence of the condition’s being fulfilled. As the words now read Jeremiah 34:4 b can be taken only as the word which Zedekiah is to hear. Jeremiah 34:4 a then expresses no condition, but in Jeremiah 34:4-5 a restriction or more exact definition (not a continuation, as Hitzig supposed), is added to Jeremiah 34:3. In Jeremiah 34:3 it was said that Zedekiah should be captured and taken to Babylon. Jeremiah 34:4-5 mitigate this harsh sentence, adding that he shall not die by violence there, but in peace and be buried with royal honors. Thus rendered, the passage harmonizes with the other intimations, which are given with respect to the end of the king: Jeremiah 32:5; Jeremiah 39:5-7; Jeremiah 52:9-11; 2 Kings 25:6-7. Is then this declaration adapted to excite the anger of the king? Though the first part of it is gloomy, the second presents some points of comfort. The terrible fate which befel the tyrant Jehoiakim (the words “will lament thee,” Jeremiah 34:5, are in evident contrast to Jeremiah 22:18) will not be Zedekiah’s. His fate, when the severest crisis is past, will take a (relatively) better turn; he will at least enjoy a respectful treatment as a prisoner, and indeed again receive honor after death. Zedekiah is thus relatively favored. Should he for this have the prophet confined, as must have been the case if the conference reported here be identical with that mentioned in Jeremiah 32:3? According to chh37,38, where the whole history of the relations between Zedekiah and the prophet is related according to its main features, the former confined the latter in the court only with benevolent intentions. In the first instance the court of the guard was assigned as a mitigation in contrast to the terrible detention he had suffered in the prison of Jonathan, the Scribe ( Jeremiah 37:20). Afterwards the court of the guard was again assigned him out of kindness, after his still more terrible confinement in the pit ( Jeremiah 38:13). Chh37,38 make the general impression that Zedekiah kept the prophet in custody only on account of the princes. I Had it not been for these he would have given him his entire freedom (comp. Jeremiah 38:5). It should, moreover, be observed that according to Jeremiah 34:2 Jeremiah seeks the king freely, while according to chh37 sq. this scarcely seems possible. Then we have reports of two conferences of Jeremiah with the king. On the first he is brought from strict confinement in the house of Jonathan ( Jeremiah 37:17), on the second he is brought after his deliverance from the pit ( Jeremiah 38:14). The fear, which Jeremiah expresses on this latter occasion, shows that he had no desire to present himself before the king. Thus it appears as if the different accounts of Jeremiah’s conferences with Zedekiah would not agree, especially does a confinement in the court of the guard as a punishment, according to Jeremiah 32:3, seem to agree neither with chh37,38 nor with Jeremiah 34:2-5. Meanwhile as the apparent want of agreement itself excludes the idea of an interpolation, and as there is nothing in the language which betrays a strange hand, we are forced to the hypothesis that in Jeremiah 32:1-5 and Jeremiah 34:1-5 we have an account of a conference of Zedekiah with Jeremiah which is distinct from the two narrated in. Jeremiah 37:17-20 and Jeremiah 38:14-16. From the words “with thou not certainly put me to death,” Jeremiah 38:15, it is clear that Jeremiah did not expect a very kindly disposition on the part of the king. It is conceivable that the court was assigned him as a place of punishment, when after a voluntary visit to the king (comp. Jeremiah 22:1), he was dismissed with the ungracious words “back into the court!” Although, as we have shown, the words in Jeremiah 34:4-5 are relatively favorable to the king, yet he may have expected something better of the prophet when he appeared uncalled for and have accordingly become indignant at the essentially invariable prediction of the capture of the city and his own imprisonment. If it is asked what was the object of this address to the king, not occasioned by the king but commanded by God, it is surprising that the prophet does not say what the fate of the city will be in case of voluntary submission (comp. Jeremiah 38:17). He does not, however, say fully what will be the fate of the king in case of stubborn refusal to surrender. Nothing is here said of Zedekiah’s children together with the princes of Israel being killed before his eyes, of his own eyes being put out ( Jeremiah 52:10), or of his wives being given to the Babylonian princes ( Jeremiah 38:21-23). This lack of an alternative distinguishes the present passage from Jeremiah 21:9; Jeremiah 38:2; Jeremiah 38:17.

This passage reads like an unconditional sentence, in which, however, it is expressly remarked that this still severe sentence is yet to be regarded as a mitigation. (Comp. Jeremiah 34:4-5 with Jeremiah 22:18). It accordingly seems probable that this passage, together with the prophecy closely connected with it in chh32,33, belongs to the period indicated in Jeremiah 38:28, i. e. to the period after the last exhortation which the prophet addressed to Zedekiah conditionally. Now a simple announcement is made to him of what will take place. The possibility that Zedekiah may yet tread the path of deliverance so often pointed out to him, is no longer thought of. It is still a great favor that the full terrible reality is not yet disclosed to him. He doubtless owed this as well as the relative mildness of his sentence to the good-will he had manifested towards the prophet. It certainly seems, as remarked above, that this announcement of his sentence, by the prophet who comes before him uncalled-for, first irritated him towards the latter, on which supposition the words, “Wherefore dost thou prophesy?” in Jeremiah 32:3, would be explained.

And with the burnings of thy fathers. The burning of the dead was not a Jewish custom. Burning alive only occurs as a punishment, [Calvin says, that to prevent putrefaction, the bodies of the dead were dried by a slow fire, but only at the burial of kings.—S. R. A.]

For I have spoken a word. Not merely breath, but a word which is spirit, life, power has the Lord uttered. (Comp. Deuteronomy 22:47; Psalm 33:4; Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5; Isaiah 40:8; Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 23:29). The expression “I have spoken,” without “word,” is found with special frequency in Ezekiel 5:13; Ezekiel 5:15; Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 17:21; Ezekiel 17:24, etc.

Jeremiah 34:6-7. Then Jeremiah … cities of Judah. The performance of the task is mentioned as a proof that Jeremiah had the courage to appear before the king with a message, which was by no means such as he wished to hear in a time of severe affliction.—Lachish and Azekah were both situated in the Sephela, the low country in the south-western part of the tribe of Judah ( Jeremiah 15:33, 35, 39). They were both fortified by Rehoboam ( 2 Chronicles 11:9). Lachish was besieged by Sennacherib ( 2 Kings 18:14; 2 Kings 18:17; 2 Kings 19:8; Isaiah 36:2; Isaiah 37:8). [“This celebrated siege is supposed by Layard to be depicted on certain slabs disinterred from the ruins of Nineveh.”—Cowles].—Fortified cities cannot well be taken as in apposition to cities of Judah, because this addition would either be superfluous or would give the wrong thought that unfortified cities were still left. It cannot also well be attached as a definition to remained: nam hæc oppida ex oppidis Judæ munita supererant (Rosenmueller). It is not credible that there were no other fortified cities besides these. It can only be in apposition to these; these, as fortified cities, were still left. The reason of their remaining is thus expressed, and this reason was the strength of their fortifications.

Footnotes