Jeremiah 49:20

20 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he took to Edom, and his thoughts, which he thought of the dwellers of Teman. If the little (ones) of the flock cast not them down, if they destroy not with them the dwelling of them, else no man give credence to me. (And so hear ye the counsel, or the advice, of the Lord, which he brought against Edom, and his thoughts, which he thought against the inhabitants of Teman. The little ones of the flock shall be cast down, or carried off, and they shall destroy their dwelling places with them, else no one give credence to me/or else no one believe me.)

Jeremiah 49:20 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 49:20

Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that he hath taken
against Edom
The decree of the Lord; the purpose and resolution he had taken up in his heart against the Idumeans, which was wisely formed, and upon just and good grounds: and his purposes that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of
Teman;
a principal place in Edom, the inhabitants of which were famous for their wisdom, ( Jeremiah 49:7 ) ; and therefore are here particularly mentioned; there being no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord, so as to frustrate his purposes and designs, which have always their effect, ( Proverbs 19:21 ) ( 21:30 ) ; surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
not the Persians, the least of the sons of Japheth, as some Rabbins in Jarchi ^F3; nor the Israelites, as Kimchi, particularly Rachel's sons, or the posterity of Joseph and Benjamin; but the common soldiers, the weakest and most feeble in the Chaldean army: as princes are compared to shepherds, their people are like flocks; and now the least of these in the king of Babylon's army should be a match for the strongest of the Edomites; and should draw them out of their habitations, as dogs or wolves drag sheep out of the folds, and draw about dead carcasses, and devour them. The words are in the form of an oath, "if the least of the flock do not draw them out"; that is, as I live they shall; or I swear by myself they shall certainly do it; so the Targum,

``if they do not draw and kill the mighty of the people:''

surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them;
or, "their folds"; the sheep shall be destroyed, and their folds shall be demolished; that is, the inhabitants of Edom shall be slain with the sword, and their cities, towns, and villages, shall be laid waste.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 10. 1.

Jeremiah 49:20 In-Context

18 as Sodom and Gomorrah is destroyed, and the nigh cities thereof, saith the Lord. A man shall not dwell there, and the son of (a) man shall not inhabit it. (yea, it, and the cities nearby, shall be destroyed, like Sodom and Gomorrah, saith the Lord. No one shall live there, and no one shall inhabit it.)

19 Lo! as a lion he shall ascend from the pride of Jordan to the strong fairness; for I shall make him run suddenly to it; and who shall be the chosen man whom I shall set before him? For who is like to me, and who shall suffer me? and who is this shepherd, that shall against-stand my cheer? (Lo! like a lion he shall come up from the thickets of the Jordan River to the plentiful pastures; but suddenly I shall make him run away; and then who shall be the chosen one that I shall set before him? For who is like me? and who shall dare to challenge me? and who is this shepherd of the people, who shall stand against me?)

20 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he took to Edom, and his thoughts, which he thought of the dwellers of Teman. If the little (ones) of the flock cast not them down, if they destroy not with them the dwelling of them, else no man give credence to me. (And so hear ye the counsel, or the advice, of the Lord, which he brought against Edom, and his thoughts, which he thought against the inhabitants of Teman. The little ones of the flock shall be cast down, or carried off, and they shall destroy their dwelling places with them, else no one give credence to me/or else no one believe me.)

21 The earth was moved of the voice of [the] falling of them; the cry of voice thereof was heard in the Red Sea. (The earth was shaken at the sound of their falling; the cries of their voices were heard at the Red Sea, or at the Sea of Reeds.)

22 Lo! as an eagle he shall ascend, and fly out, and he shall spread abroad his wings on Bozrah; and the heart of the strong men of Idumea shall be in that day, as the heart of a woman travailing of child. (Lo! he shall ascend like an eagle, and fly out, and he shall spread abroad his wings over Bozrah; and the hearts of the strong men of Edom shall be on that day, like the heart of a woman in labour/like the heart of a woman giving birth.)