Jeremiah 21:2

2 They said, "Ask the Lord for us what will happen, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will do miracles for us as he did in the past so Nebuchadnezzar will stop attacking us and leave."

Jeremiah 21:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 21:2

Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us
Or, "seek the Lord now for us" F14; seek the Lord by prayer and supplication for me and my people, for this city and the inhabitants of it; entreat him that he would appear for us, and deliver us out of the hands of the enemy; for this they said in the name of the king that sent them, who knew that the prophet had an interest at the throne of grace, and was a favourite of heaven; and therefore desired him to be an intercessor for them: for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us;
the same that is elsewhere called Nebuchadnezzar, commonly called by the Greeks Nebuchodonosor; he was now come up to Jerusalem, and was besieging it, as had been predicted: if so be the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous
works;
which he had done in times past for that nation; as by bringing them out of Egypt; driving out the Canaanites before them; delivering them out of the hands of their neighbours, time after time, when oppressed by them; and particularly by destroying the Assyrian army in Hezekiah's time, which was besieging the city of Jerusalem, and causing their king to depart and flee in haste; and their present case being similar to that, it is very likely that that was more especially in view: that he may go up from us;
namely, the king of Babylon; that he may rise up, and raise the siege, and depart into his own country, as Sennacherib did.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 (wndeb an vrd) "interroga nunc pro nobis", Vatablus: Pagninus; "inquire nunc", Montanus.

Jeremiah 21:2 In-Context

1 This is the word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. It came when Zedekiah king of Judah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah.
2 They said, "Ask the Lord for us what will happen, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will do miracles for us as he did in the past so Nebuchadnezzar will stop attacking us and leave."
3 But Jeremiah answered them, "Tell King Zedekiah this:
4 'Here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You have weapons of war in your hands to defend yourselves against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians, who are all around the city wall. But I will make those weapons useless. Soon I will bring them into the center of this city.
5 In my anger, my very great anger, I myself will fight against you with my great power and strength.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.