Jeremiah 47 Study Notes

47:4 The Philistines and the Phoenicians are grouped together here; presumably there was an alliance between their cities. If so, then Nebuchadnezzar’s actions against the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon were merely preparatory for what was to come for the Philistine cities. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre in 594 and 587 BC. The phrase the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor accords with Am 9:7 where Caphtor is described as the original home of the Philistines. Caphtor is usually identified with the island of Crete and the Aegean Islands. The Philistines apparently belonged to a group known as the Sea Peoples. Their main wave of conquest and/or immigration was halted by Ramesses III around 1188 BC, when they settled on the coastal plains of Palestine.

47:5 There are three signs of mourning here: shaving one’s head to baldness, being silent, and inflicting gashes on oneself (16:6; 41:5). Two alternate translations for a remnant of their valley should be noted. First, the Hebrew word ‘emeq, rendered “valley,” may be the same as the Ugaritic/Canaanite word ‘mq, meaning “strength.” In this light the phrase could be translated, “O you last of their strength.” Second, the LXX reads “Anakim,” which links the people of Gaza and Ashkelon with the giants that were in the land before the Israelites invaded it (Nm 13:22-23; Dt 1:28). Joshua 11:22 notes remnants of this people group still lived in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

47:6-7 Attempts to quiet the sword of the Lord would prove futile. What had been decreed by the Lord against Ashkelon and the shore of the sea was finished when Nebuchadnezzar overran Ashkelon after a siege in 604-603 BC. In an Aramaic letter archaeologists found at Memphis, King Adon of Ashkelon sought Neco’s help as enemy troops reached Aphek. Receipts from the sons of the king and others from Ashkelon were also found at Babylon along with receipts from King Yaukin (Jehoiakim) of Judah and his sons. The attack against Ashkelon prompted King Jehoiakim to proclaim a fast in Jerusalem (chap. 36). This fast gave Baruch the opportunity to read Jeremiah’s scroll.