The Lord showed me
A vision, or in a vision, what follows; for by this it appears
that what was seen was not real, but what was exhibited in a
visionary way by the Lord, and represented to the mind of the
prophet: and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before
the temple of the
Lord;
or "pots", as Jarchi; these do not signify the law and Gospel, or
the synagogue and church, or the Jews and Christians, or hell and
heaven, as some have interpreted it, observed by Jerom; but the
Jews that were in captivity with Jeconiah, and those that
remained in Jerusalem with Zedekiah, as it is explained in some
following verses. These baskets are said to be "set before the
temple of the Lord", not to be sold there, but to be presented to
the Lord; in allusion to the baskets of firstfruits, which,
according to the law, were thither brought for that purpose, (
Deuteronomy 26:2 ) ;
and signify, that the two people represented by them were before
the Lord, in his sight, were known to him, and judged by him;
after that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away
captive
Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the
princes of Judah,
with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had
brought them to
Babylon:
this was done when Jeconiah had reigned but little more than
three months, and in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, (
2 Kings
24:8 2 Kings
24:12 ) ( 2 Chronicles
36:9 2
Chronicles 36:10 ) . This is mentioned, not only to show the
time of this vision, which was a little after this captivity, in
the beginning of Zedekiah's reign; but to let us know who the
captives were, signified by the good figs. The "carpenters" and
"smiths" were carried away with the king and the princes, partly
that they might be serviceable to the king of Babylon in his
country; and partly that they might not be assisting to their own
country in repairing their fortifications, and making instruments
of war for them. There were a "thousand" of this sort carried
captive, ( 2 Kings
24:16 ) ; where the former of these are called "craftsmen".
Jarchi interprets both of the scholars of the wise men; and
Kimchi, of counsellors and wise men. The word for "carpenters" is
used both of carpenters and blacksmiths; and that for "smiths"
may be rendered "enclosers", or "shutters up"; which the Targum
understands of porters or shutters of gates; and some think
goldsmiths are meant, that set or enclose precious stones in
gold; and others are of opinion that masons are intended, so
called from the building of walls for the enclosing of places.
The Syriac version renders it "soldiers"; but those are
distinguished from them, ( 2 Kings
24:14 2 Kings
24:16 ) . The Septuagint version translates it "prisoners";
but so all the captives might be called; and it adds, what is not
in the text, "and the rich"; and the Arabic version following
that; though it is true they were carried captive; for it is
said, "none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the
land", ( 2 Kings
24:14 ) . This, according to Bishop Usher F24, was
in the year of the world 3405, and before Christ 599; and so the
authors of the Universal History F25 place it; and Mr. Whiston
F26 also; and Mr. Bedford F1 a year
later; and in the same year that this captivity began was Cyrus
the Persian born, who was the deliverer of the Jews from it.