But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of
Hammelech
Or, "the king's son", as the Targum; though it rather seems to be
the proper name of a person, one of the king's servants; since it
is not probable he would send his own son on such an errand; and
had he, he would rather have been called his own son than the
king's son; besides, Jeconiah, who succeeded him, seems to be his
eldest son, and yet he now could not be more than twelve years of
age; whereas this Jerahmeel must be a man grown; and had he been
an elder son, as he must, he would have succeeded him, unless it
can be thought that he died before his father: and Seraiah
the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to
take
Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet;
in order to bring them before the king, or to imprison them, or
put them to death, for which they might have the king's warrant;
the one for prophesying, and the other for writing out and
reading his prophecies; though Baruch may be called a scribe, not
for being the amanuensis of Jeremiah; but because he was one of
the scribes of the law, or doctors of the people: but the
Lord hid them;
the princes advised them to hide themselves, and they did, very
probably in a house of some of their friends; but this would not
have been sufficient, had not the Lord took them under his
protection; there was no doubt a special providence concerned for
them; but by what means this preservation was is not known.
Kimchi suggests that these messengers sought for them in the very
place where they were, and could not find them; and conjectures
that the Lord set darkness about them, or weakened the visive
faculty of those that searched for them, that they could not see
them.