Jeremia 40:1

1 Het woord, dat van den HEERE geschied is tot Jeremia, nadat Nebuzaradan, de overste der trawanten, hem had laten gaan van Rama; als hij hem had laten halen, daar hij met ketenen gebonden was in het midden aller gevangenen van Jeruzalem en Juda, die naar Babel gevankelijk werden weggevoerd.

Jeremia 40:1 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 40:1

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord
The word of prophecy, as the Targum; but there being no prophecy in this and the following chapter, only a narration of facts, this is generally referred to what came ten days after, and which begins ( Jeremiah 42:7 ) ; so Jarchi and Kimchi; all between being included in a parenthesis, or a relation of facts preparatory, to lead on to it; though Abarbinel takes it to be a general title to all histories and prophecies in this book, from henceforward to the end of it. Jarchi and Kimchi make mention of a Midrash, which refers it to the special word of the Lord to Jeremiah to go to Gedaliah, ( Jeremiah 40:5 ) ; interpreting that passage as the words of the Lord, and not of Nebuzaradan; but Abarbinel's sense seems best. The time of this prophecy was after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from
Ramah;
which was a city in the land of Benjamin near Gibeon, seven miles from Jerusalem, as Jerom ^F17 says; here Nebuzaradan had his rendezvous, whither he brought his captives as they fell into his hands, among whom were Jeremiah: when he had taken him;
out of the court of the prison, and out of Jerusalem, and brought him to Ramah: being bound in chains among all them that were carried away captive of
Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon;
how it came to pass is not certain, but so it was; that, though by the orders of Nebuzaradan and the princes, agreeably to the command of the king of Babylon, Jeremiah was taken out of the court of the prison, yet was not set free; but without the knowledge of Nebuzaradan, and through the inadvertency of inferior officers, he was taken and bound, and with other prisoners brought to Ramah, in order to be transported to Babylon, which lay in the way to it; for Ramah was to the north of Jerusalem, as Babylon was: these chains were for the hands, or what we call handcuffs, as Kimchi, Abarbinel, and Ben Melech observe, and as appears from ( Jeremiah 40:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Comment in Hos. v. 8,

Jeremia 40:1 In-Context

1 Het woord, dat van den HEERE geschied is tot Jeremia, nadat Nebuzaradan, de overste der trawanten, hem had laten gaan van Rama; als hij hem had laten halen, daar hij met ketenen gebonden was in het midden aller gevangenen van Jeruzalem en Juda, die naar Babel gevankelijk werden weggevoerd.

2 Want de overste der trawanten liet Jeremia halen, en zeide tot hem: De HEERE, uw God, heeft dit kwaad over deze plaats gesproken.

3 En de HEERE heeft het doen komen, en gedaan, gelijk als Hij gesproken had; want gijlieden hebt gezondigd tegen den HEERE, en Zijner stem niet gehoorzaamd; daarom is ulieden deze zaak geschied.

4 Nu dan, zie, ik heb u heden losgemaakt van de ketenen, die aan uw hand waren; indien het goed is in uw ogen met mij naar Babel te komen, zo kom, en ik zal mijn oog op u stellen; maar indien het kwaad is in uw ogen met mij naar Babel te komen, zo laat het; zie, het ganse land is voor uw aangezicht, waarhenen het goed en recht in uw ogen is te gaan, ga daar.

5 En dewijl hij nog niet zal wederkeren, zo keer gij tot Gedalia, den zoon van Ahikam, den zoon van Safan, dien de koning van Babel over de steden van Juda gesteld heeft; en woon bij hem in het midden des volks; of overal, waar het in uw ogen recht is te gaan, ga er henen. En de overste der trawanten gaf hem reiskost en een geschenk, en liet hem gaan.