Jeremiah 52

⁷⁰ Many of us know fellow believers who are discouraged and who complain about their circumstances; let us be patient with them. Let us be sympathetic and supportive; let us put ourselves in their place. When we do, we are helping precious servants of God—maybe someone like Jeremiah.

⁷¹ Verse 12 is almost the same as Jeremiah 11:20.

⁷² Notice that Jeremiah did not curse his parents; the law of Moses prohibited that (Exodus 21:17).

⁷³ Even as God’s final judgment on Judah is about to fall, He still makes a way for people to escape. He is intent on saving a remnant of His people (see Isaiah 10:20–23; Jeremiah 3:14; 5:18). Ultimately, God’s punishments are given to purify and restore, not to annihilate. But to benefit from His punishments we must accept them and not resist them. That was the choice facing the people of Judah: to accept or to resist.

⁷⁴ In verse 13, the first two times the Hebrew word you appears, it is feminine singular; it refers to Jerusalem personified. The third you is plural, and refers to the people of Jerusalem.

⁷⁵ In verse 3, Jeremiah repeats the words he spoke to Zedekiah in Jeremiah 21:12.

⁷⁶ In verse 5, God says, “I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.” In biblical times it was customary to confirm one’s oath by swearing in the name of someone greater than oneself. However, when God swears an oath He does so in His own name, for there is no one greater for Him to swear by (see Genesis 22:16; Hebrews 6:13).

⁷⁷ Josiah had died some years earlier while fighting the Egyptians (2 Kings 23:29). His body was carried back to Jerusalem where it was laid to rest in peace and honor (2 Kings 23:30).

⁷⁸ Jehoiakim became king after his brother Shallum was exiled (2 Kings 23:34).

⁷⁹ Many people say they are not sure what God’s will is for their lives; they are not getting “clear signals.” In most cases, they are not getting signals because they haven’t committed themselves to doing God’s will—no matter what His will might turn out to be; they have placed conditions on their service for God. Only when they have promised in advance to obey God—no matter what—will they know His will and be able to follow His path for their lives.

⁸⁰ In 2 Kings 24:6, the writer says that Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, which simply means that he died. No burial is mentioned.

⁸¹ The term “Messianic age” can mean the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ. More commonly, however, it refers to the final stage of history associated with the return of Christ; this is its usual meaning in this commentary. We should keep in mind that for the Old Testament writers, the Messianic age was simply “sometime in the future.” They did not know there would be a 2,000–year (or more) interval between the first and second comings of the Messiah. This interval, in which we are now living, is often called the “Church age.” For further discussion, see comment on Isaiah 32:14–18 and footnote to comment; Jeremiah 30:1–3 and comment.

⁸² In verses 25–27, Jeremiah is not saying that God doesn’t reveal His word through dreams (see Numbers 12:6; Joel 2:28). He is only saying that dreams can be easily misinterpreted, and that these ungodly prophets were falsely claiming their dreams were coming from God.

⁸³ An oracle is a message or statement that is thought to be divine. In Hebrew, the word “oracle” can also mean “burden.”

⁸⁴ God calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant only in the sense that he “serves” as God’s agent of judgment—even though he doesn’t know it.

⁸⁵ Several other starting points for the seventy–year period have been proposed. Furthermore, some scholars believe the “seventy years” is a round number rather than a precise number.

⁸⁶ In verse 18, the elders quote from Micah 3:12.

⁸⁷ In verses 19–20, Jeremiah mentions some of the temple articles that Nebuchadnezzar did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin into exile: the pillars, the Sea, the moveable stands and the other furnishings (see 1 Kings 7:15–37). Because Judah did not submit to Nebuchadnezzar, all these remaining articles were indeed carried off during the final siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:13–15)just as Jeremiah had prophesied.

⁸⁸ Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, but the name “Samaria” was often applied to the whole kingdom as well. Likewise, Ephraim was the largest tribe of the northern kingdom, but its name too was often used for the whole kingdom.

⁸⁹ When the northern kingdom was formed after Solomon’s death, its first king, Jeroboam, discouraged his subjects from worshiping at the Jerusalem temple; he set up two golden calves for them to worship instead (1 Kings 12:26–30).

⁹⁰ For the meaning of redeem, see Exodus 13:11–16 and comment; Word List: Redemption.

⁹¹ Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife (Genesis 29:30); she was the mother of Joseph (Genesis 30:2224) and the grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:1), founders of the two largest tribes in northern Israel. The town of Ramah (verse 15) was eight kilometers north of Jerusalem. The people of Judah passed through Ramah on their way to exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 40:1).

Matthew quotes verse 15 and says that the prophecy about Rachel’s weeping—Israel’s mourning—was again fulfilled when Herod ordered the killing of Jewish boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem, which would include Ramah (Matthew 2:16–18).

⁹² The last line of verse 22—a woman will surround a man—may be a proverbial saying about something new and amazing. It could also portray a woman protecting her male child—as Rachel might protect her children. Some Bible scholars have suggested it may refer to the incarnation of Christ, when the woman (Mary) surrounded or enclosed the man Jesus in her womb.

⁹³ It is true that a father’s sins will have a harmful effect on his children (see Exodus 20:5); but God punishes us for our own sins, not the sins of our parents (see Deuteronomy 24:16).

⁹⁴ For further discussion of the old and new covenants, see Exodus 19:5–6; 24:1–8 and comments; Word List: Covenant; General Article: Covenants and Dispensations.

⁹⁵ Animal sacrifices were the basis of the old covenant. But with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, animal sacrifices are no longer needed to atone for our sin, to cleanse us from sin; indeed, animal sacrifices never did completely cleanse people from sin (see Hebrews 10:1–18). For further discussion on the subject of atonement and sacrifices, see Exodus 25:17–22; 27:1–8; Leviticus 1:1–4 and comments; Word List: Atonement.

⁹⁶ Jerusalem was indeed rebuilt after the Jews returned from exile (see books of Ezra and Nehemiah).

⁹⁷ In the last line of verse 40, the Lord says that Jerusalem will never again be uprooted or demolished. However, we know that Jerusalem was “demolished” by the Romans in 70 A.D., an event that Jesus Himself predicted (Mark 13:1–2). Therefore, the Jerusalem the Lord is referring to in verses 38–40 cannot simply mean the Jerusalem rebuilt by the post–exilic Jews under Ezra and Nehemiah. The Lord must also be referring to a symbolic or spiritual Jerusalem, perhaps to the new Jerusalem mentioned by the Apostle John in Revelation 21:2.

⁹⁸ Documents have been preserved in such jars for as long as 2,000 years; the Dead Sea scrolls are one example.

⁹⁹ Verse 19 is repeated from Jeremiah 17:10; for similar statements, see 1 Corinthians 3:8; Ephesians

6:8.

¹⁰⁰ Verses 34–35 are repeated from Jeremiah 7:30–31. Molech (verse 35) was the Ammonite god to whom children were sacrificed (Leviticus 18:21).

¹⁰¹ As was the case in Jeremiah Chapters 30–31, the promises given in verses 36–41 apply in a preliminary way to the returning exiles, but they apply more fully to believers in Christ. The restoration of Old Testament Israel described here by Jeremiah is but a foreshadowing of the restoration Christ has accomplished for us by taking away our sins, giving us new hearts, and reconciling us to God (see Jeremiah 31:31–34; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20). But the greatest restoration of all is still to come, when both Jews and Gentiles will be joined together in the Messianic kingdom at Christ’s second coming.

¹⁰² In verse 16, the Lord says: “This is the name by which it (Jerusalem) will be called: The LORD our Righteousness.” According to Jeremiah 23:6, this is also the name by which he (the King) will be called. Thus Jerusalem is going to be identified with the Messiah and reflect His righteousness. In a similar way, the church is identified with Christ because it reflects His righteousness (1 Corinthians 12:12).

¹⁰³ In verse 18, the Lord says that there will always be a priest to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings and to present sacrifices (see Leviticus Chapters 1–3). When Christ sacrificed His own body on the cross, He made any further sacrifices unnecessary. His sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 10:10–18).

¹⁰⁴ Christ’s priesthood was of a higher order than the Levitical priesthood. He was certainly qualified to fulfill God’s promise that the Levites would never fail to have a man to serve before God as a priest (verse 18).

¹⁰⁵ In Hebrew, the words two kingdoms can also be translated as “two families”—that is, the royal family of David (representing Judah) and the priestly family of Levi (representing Israel).

¹⁰⁶ In Old Testament times, a covenant was confirmed by cutting an animal in two, after which the parties to the covenant would walk between the two halves of the animal. This symbolized the taking of an oath that if either party broke the covenant, that party would agree to submit to a fate equivalent to that of the severed animal (see Genesis 15:9–10,17–18).

¹⁰⁷ Note that the events of these next two chapters take place early in the reign of Jehoiakim (verse 1); thus they predate the events described in Jeremiah Chapters 30–34 by seventeen years.

¹⁰⁸ About 250 years before Jeremiah’s time, Jonadab (also spelled Jehonadab) had helped King Jehu eliminate Baal worship from the northern kingdom (2 Kings 10:15–17,23–28).

¹⁰⁹ The scroll Jeremiah dictated probably contained Jeremiah Chapters 1–26 and 46–51; the scroll would have been the “first edition” of the book of Jeremiah.

¹¹⁰ Jehoiakim’s father Josiah had reacted quite differently to hearing the words of the Lord (see 2 Kings 22:11).

¹¹¹ Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin did “sit” on the throne for three months, but he never truly reigned; he was quickly carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar (see 2 Kings 24:8–12). After that, Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, became king (2 Kings 24:17).

¹¹² Christ too found more faith among the Gentiles than He found among the Jews (Matthew 8:10; 15:28).

¹¹³ According to Jeremiah 40:1, Jeremiah was discovered bound in chains among all the captives being taken into exile. Apparently, after Jeremiah had initially been placed under Gedaliah’s care, he mingled with the captives being carried into exile in order to counsel and comfort them. He was then mistakenly chained along with the captives. When the mistake was recognized, Jeremiah was released.

¹¹⁴ For an explanation of why Jeremiah was bound in chains even after Nebuchadnezzar had ordered his officers to protect him, see footnote to comment on Jeremiah 39:11–14.

¹¹⁵ Ahikam had been instrumental in saving Jeremiah’s life some years earlier (Jeremiah 26:24).

¹¹⁶ When Ishmael went to meet the pilgrims, he pretended to be weeping, as if to share their sorrow (verse 6). Again he used trickery; he trapped them in the town of Mizpah, and then slaughtered all but ten of them and threw their bodies in a cistern (verse 7). In verse 9, Jeremiah identifies the cistern as one made by Asa king of Judah as part of some defenses he was building (1 Kings 15:22). A cistern was necessary for storing water during times of siege.

¹¹⁷ For further discussion on the subject of divine guidance, see comment on Numbers 9:17–23 and footnote to comment; Psalm 32:8–10 and comment.

¹¹⁸ Jeremiah’s prophecy came true:according to archeological evidence, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt in 568 B.C. It can be assumed that he did not spare Johanan and the Jews who had fled from Judah.

¹¹⁹ Baruch’s brother Seraiah was a staff officer of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 51:59); their father was Neriah (verse 1). Thus we know that Baruch came from a respectable family. At times he may have been tempted to serve Zedekiah instead of the unpopular Jeremiah. Yet he gave up the chance for advancement and stayed with Jeremiah. In so doing, he chose well: “advancement” under Zedekiah would most likely have meant death; by staying with Jeremiah, he saved his life—and made a lasting and important contribution to the Lord, and to us: the book of Jeremiah.

¹²⁰ Isaiah Chapters 13–23 contain similar prophecies against various nations that at one time or another were enemies of Israel.

¹²¹ Carchemish was a strategic town located on the Euphrates River (verse 2). In 605 B.C., the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign, the Egyptian army advanced against the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar’s victory over Pharaoh Neco at Carchemish made Babylon the dominant power in the Middle East (see 2 Kings 24:7). Neco was the Pharaoh who killed Josiah king of Judah, and set the ungodly Jehoiakim on Judah’s throne (2 Kings 23:29,34).

¹²² For other prophecies about Egypt, see Isaiah Chapters 19–20; Ezekiel Chapters 29–32.

¹²³ Gaza and Ashkelon (verses 1,5) were two of the five main cities of the Philistines. Philistia was located west of Judah along the Mediterranean coast. For other prophecies about the Philistines, see Isaiah 14:28–32; Ezekiel 25:15–17.

¹²⁴ Moab was located just east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites were descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:36–37). Though they were “cousins” of the Israelites, they remained hostile to Israel throughout most of their history.

Most of the cities and towns named in this chapter were located within Moab or in territory controlled by Moab. For other prophecies about Moab, see Isaiah Chapters 15–16; Ezekiel 25:8–11.

¹²⁵ In biblical times, idols were seized and taken captive along with those who worshiped them (see Isaiah 46:1–2).

¹²⁶ The Ammonites, like the Moabites, were descended from Lot (Genesis 19:36–38). Ammon was located east of the Jordan River and north of Moab. Its capital city was Rabbah (verse 2)—now called Amman, the capital of present–day Jordan. For other prophecies about Ammon, see Ezekiel 25:1–7.

¹²⁷ Edom—also called Esau (verses 8,10)—was located south of Judah. It was inhabited by descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Genesis 36:1,8–9). So the Edomites were “first cousins” of the Israelites, which made their hostility to Israel all the more displeasing to God. For other prophecies concerning Edom, see Isaiah 21:11–12; Ezekiel 25:12–14.

¹²⁸ For another prophecy against Damascus, see Isaiah Chapter 17.

¹²⁹ In verse 31, the nation at ease probably includes Kedar, Hazor, and other small kingdoms of northern Arabia.

¹³⁰ The Elamites were among those who gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and heard the followers of Christ speaking in their own Elamite language (Acts 2:9,11). Surely some of them became believers that day—a foretaste of the restoration still to come.

¹³¹ For another prophecy against Babylon, see Isaiah Chapters 13–14.

¹³² Throughout the book of Jeremiah, Babylon ordinarily stands for the Babylonian nation (Babylonia), of which Babylon was the capital city. In verses 1–3, the Lord refers primarily to the city; Babylon the city was indeed captured by the Persians under Cyrus in 539 B.C.

¹³³ In previous chapters, the nation from the north was always Babylon; now that Babylon is being judged, it is Persia that has become the “nation from the north,” the agent of judgment. In verse 9, Persia is referred to as an alliance of great nations, some of which are mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27–28.

¹³⁴ Babylonia is the name of the Babylonian nation.

¹³⁵ Assyria was conquered by an alliance of Medes and Babylonians in 609 B.C.

¹³⁶ The prophecy in verse 20 will be completely fulfilled only in the Messianic age.

¹³⁷ Media was located in what is today northwest Iran. Under Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1), the Medes and their allies joined the Persians to form the Persian Empire, which became God’s instrument of judgment against Babylon.

¹³⁸ In verse 13, the Babylonians are called those who live by many waters; the “many waters” are the Euphrates River and its elaborate system of irrigation canals.

¹³⁹ In verse 41, Sheshach is a code name for Babylon.

¹⁴⁰ Babylon was not immediately destroyed during Cyrus’ invasion; he actually spared much of the country. The complete destruction came later.

¹⁴¹ In Revelation Chapters 17–18, the Apostle John used the name “Babylon” to refer to a powerful political, economic and religious system, or empire. He was referring primarily to the Roman Empire, which in his day had become the “new Babylon.”

¹⁴² For further discussion of idolatry, see Exodus 20:3–6; 34:15–16; Deuteronomy 4:28 and comments.

¹⁴³ In the last line of verse 64, the compiler of Jeremiah’s prophecies (most likely Baruch) writes: The words of Jeremiah end here. The last chapter in the book is a historical appendix taken almost verbatim from 2 Kings 24:18–20; 25:1–30.