Lamentations 2 Footnotes

PLUS

2:9 How could Jeremiah say that prophetic visions had stopped, when he was still prophesying? This poetic language only meant that most of Judah’s prophets had failed to receive and pass on a word from God at that time. This corresponded with Jeremiah’s observations that there were false prophets who spoke words that did not come from God (Jr 14:14; 23:16). It did not mean that true prophets, such as Jeremiah himself, did not receive revelation during that period. Other prophets also wrote of a scarcity of words from the Lord (Ezk 7:26; Am 8:11).

2:14 The existence of false prophets raises questions about the truthfulness of genuine prophets; some critics even question whether prophecy is possible, or even real. The Bible has clear guidelines to tell a true from a false prophet. If the prophet’s short-term prediction came true, he was a genuine spokesman for the Lord; if not, he was a false prophet (Dt 18:21-22). Jeremiah offered short-term prophecies so the people could test him in this way (Jr 27:22; 32:7; 44:29-30; 52:17). Further, false prophets generally know that they are false. In 1Kg 22:13 one of the “prophets” of Ahab told Micaiah how he should prophesy without regard for what the Lord said. However, in the same passage Micaiah revealed that God had determined to deceive the prophets (1Kg 22:22). Ezk 14:6-9 gives an example in which the leaders, the people, and the prophets were corrupt before they were deceived (see note on Jr 5:31), and indeed in 1Kg 22 it seems clear that the false prophets were not truly convinced they were speaking God’s message. This demonstrates the principle that God’s punishment is a result, not a cause, of corruption (Jdg 9:4-5,23; 1Sm 15:13-19; 16:14; Rm 1:21-24).

2:20 The existence of cannibalism does not mean that God condones it (see note on Jr 19:8-9).