Jeremiah 21

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ¹Pashhur the son of Malchiah and ²Zephaniah the priest, the son of ³Maaseiah, saying,

2 ⁴“Inquire of the Lord for us, ⁵for Nebuchadnezzar^[a] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ⁶all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us. ”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,

4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ⁷Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ⁸And I will bring them together into the midst of this city.

5 I myself will fight against you ⁹with outstretched hand and strong arm, ¹⁰in anger and in fury and in great wrath.

6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence.

7 Afterward, declares the Lord, ¹¹I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ¹²He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion. ’

8 “And to this people you shall say: ¹³‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ¹⁴I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 He who stays in this city shall die ¹⁵by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ¹⁶surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ¹⁷and shall have his life as a prize of war.

10 For ¹⁸I have set my face against this city for harm and ¹⁹not for good, declares the Lord: ²⁰it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. ’

Message to the House of David

11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord,

12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord: ²¹“‘Execute justice ²²in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, ²³lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds. ’”

13 ²⁴“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord; you who say, ²⁵‘Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitations? ’

14 ²⁶I will punish you according to ²⁷the fruit of your deeds, declares the Lord; ²⁸I will kindle a fire in her forest, ²⁹and it shall devour all that is around her. ”

Jeremiah 21 Commentary

Chapter 21

The only way of deliverance is to be surrendering to the Babylonians. (1-10) The wickedness of the king and his household. (11-14)

Verses 1-10 When the siege had begun, Zedekiah sent to ask of Jeremiah respecting the event. In times of distress and danger, men often seek those to counsel and pray for them, whom, at other times, they despise and oppose; but they only seek deliverance from punishment. When professors continue in disobedience, presuming upon outward privileges, let them be told that the Lord will prosper his open enemies against them. As the king and his princes would not surrender, the people are exhorted to do so. No sinner on earth is left without a Refuge, who really desires one; but the way of life is humbling, it requires self-denial, and exposes to difficulties.

Verses 11-14 The wickedness of the king and his family was the worse because of their relation to David. They were urged to act with justice, at once, lest the Lord's anger should be unquenchable. If God be for us, who can be against us? But if he be against us, who can do any thing for us?

Cross References

• 1. 21:1 See ch. 20:1
• 2. 21:1 ch. 29:25; 37:3; 2 Kgs. 25:18
• 3. 21:1 ch. 35:4; 2 Chr. 34:8
• 4. 21:2 [ch. 37:7]
• 5. 21:2 [2 Kgs. 25:1]
• 6. 21:2 Ps. 105:2, 5
• 7. 21:4 [ch. 32:5; 37:10]
• 8. 21:4 [Isa. 13:4]
• 9. 21:5 ch. 27:5; 32:17, 21; Ex. 6:6; Deut. 4:34; Ezek. 20:33
• 10. 21:5 ch. 32:37; Deut. 29:28
• 11. 21:7 ch. 37:17; 39:5; 52:9
• 12. 21:7 Deut. 28:50; 2 Chr. 36:17; Ezek. 5:11
• 13. 21:8 Deut. 30:15, 19
• 14. 21:8 ch. 38:2
• 15. 21:9 See ch. 15:2
• 16. 21:9 ch. 37:13, 14
• 17. 21:9 ch. 39:18; 45:5
• 18. 21:10 ch. 44:11; Lev. 20:3, 5; Ps. 34:16; Ezek. 14:8; [Amos 9:4]
• 19. 21:10 [ch. 14:11]
• 20. 21:10 ver. 7; ch. 34:2; 37:8, 10; 38:17, 18, 23; 39:8; 52:13; 2 Chr. 36:19
• 21. 21:12 ch. 22:3; Zech. 7:9; [ch. 22:16]
• 22. 21:12 Ps. 101:8
• 23. 21:12 ch. 4:4
• 24. 21:13 [ver. 10]; See Ezek. 13:8
• 25. 21:13 [ch. 49:4]
• 26. 21:14 ch. 9:25
• 27. 21:14 Prov. 1:31; Isa. 3:10
• 28. 21:14 Ezek. 20:47
• 29. 21:14 Ezek. 20:47

Footnotes

• [a] 21:2 Hebrew 'Nebuchadrezzar', an alternate spelling of 'Nebuchadnezzar' (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 21

This chapter contains Jeremiah's answer to King Zedekiah's message to him; in which he assures him of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, and gives advice both to the people and the king. The names of the persons sent to him are mentioned, Jer 21:1; and the errand they were sent upon, to desire the prophet to pray to the Lord, that the king of Babylon might be obliged to depart from Jerusalem, Jer 21:2; the answer from the Lord by him is, that their opposition to the king of Babylon should be fruitless; that he should be so far from quitting the siege, that he should enter the city, Jer 21:3,4; yea, that the Lord himself would fight against them, and destroy men and beast with the pestilence; and that such who escaped the sword, famine, and pestilence, should fall into the hands of the king of Babylon, Jer 21:5-7; and then some advice is given to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to go out and give up themselves to the Chaldeans; which was the best way to save their lives, since the city would certainly fall into their hands, and be burnt by them, Jer 21:8-10; and as for the royal family, they are advised to do justice and deliver the oppressed; the not doing of which, it is suggested, was the cause of their ruin, Jer 21:11,12; and the chapter is closed with a denunciation of destruction upon the city, notwithstanding the vain trust and confidence of the inhabitants of it, Jer 21:13,14.