Jeremiah 21

Jeremiah's Message for Zedekiah

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when ¹King Zedekiah sent to him ²Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and ³Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,

2 "Please ⁴inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for ⁵Nebuchadnezzar king of ⁶Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us ⁷according to all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us."

3 Then Jeremiah said to them, "You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:

4 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to ⁸turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging * you outside * the wall; and I will ⁹gather them into the center of this city.

5 "I ¹⁰Myself will war against you with an ¹¹outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in ¹²anger and wrath and great indignation.

6 "I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great ¹³pestilence.

7 "Then afterwards *," declares the LORD, "¹⁴I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He ¹⁵will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion."'

8 "You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I ¹⁶set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 "He who ¹⁷dwells in this city will die by the ¹⁸sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging * you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.

10 "For I have ¹⁹set My face against this city for harm and not for good," declares the LORD. "It will be ²⁰given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will ²¹burn it with fire."'

11 "Then say to the household of the ²²king of Judah, 'Hear the word of the LORD,

12 O ²³house of David, thus says the LORD: "²⁴Administer justice every ²⁵morning; And deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, ²⁶That My wrath may not go forth like fire And ²⁷burn with none to extinguish it, Because * of the evil of their deeds.

13 "Behold, ²⁸I am against you, O ²⁹valley dweller, O rocky plain," declares the LORD, "You men who say, '³⁰Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations?'

14 "But I will punish you ³¹according to the results of your deeds," declares the LORD, "And I will ³²kindle a fire in its forest That it may devour all its environs.""'

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. 2 Kings 24:17, 18; Jeremiah 32:1-3; Jeremiah 37:1; Jeremiah 52:1-3
• 2. 1 Chronicles 9:12; Jeremiah 38:1
• 3. 2 Kings 25:18; Jeremiah 29:25, 29; Jeremiah 37:3; Jeremiah 52:24
• 4. Exodus 9:28; Jeremiah 37:3, 17; Ezekiel 14:7; Ezekiel 20:1-3
• 5. 2 Kings 25:1
• 6. Genesis 10:10; 2 Kings 17:24
• 7. Psalms 44:1-3; Jeremiah 32:17
• 8. Jeremiah 32:5; Jeremiah 33:5; Jeremiah 37:8-10; Jeremiah 38:2, 3, 17, 18
• 9. Isaiah 5:5; Isaiah 13:4; Jeremiah 39:3; Lamentations 2:5, 7; Zechariah 14:2
• 10. Isaiah 63:10
• 11. Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34; Jeremiah 6:12
• 12. Isaiah 5:25; Jeremiah 32:37
• 13. Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 32:24
• 14. 2 Kin 25:5-7, 18-21; Jeremiah 37:17; Jeremiah 39:5-9; Jeremiah 52:9
• 15. 2 Chronicles 36:17; Jeremiah 13:14; Ezekiel 7:9; Habakkuk 1:6-10
• 16. Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; Isaiah 1:19, 20
• 17. Jer 38:2, 17-23; Jeremiah 39:18; Jeremiah 45:5
• 18. Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 24:10
• 19. Leviticus 17:10; Jeremiah 44:11, 27; Amos 9:4
• 20. Jeremiah 32:28, 29; Jeremiah 38:3
• 21. 2 Chronicles 36:19; Jeremiah 34:2; Jeremiah 37:10; Jeremiah 38:18; Jeremiah 39:8; Jeremiah 52:13
• 22. Jeremiah 17:20
• 23. Isaiah 7:2, 13
• 24. Psalms 72:1; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 7:5; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:9, 10
• 25. Psalms 101:8; Zephaniah 3:5
• 26. Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 17:4; Ezekiel 20:47, 48; Nahum 1:6
• 27. Isaiah 1:31; Jeremiah 7:20
• 28. Jeremiah 23:30-32; Ezekiel 13:8
• 29. Psalms 125:2; Isaiah 22:1
• 30. 2 Samuel 5:6, 7; Jeremiah 49:4; Lamentations 4:12; Obad 3, 4
• 31. Isaiah 3:10, 11; Jeremiah 17:10; Jeremiah 32:19
• 32. 2 Chronicles 36:19; Isaiah 10:16, 18; Jeremiah 11:16; Jeremiah 17:27; Jeremiah 52:13; Ezekiel 20:47, 48

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "miracles"
• [b]. Lit "evil"
• [c]. Or "in the"
• [d]. Lit "hand"
• [e]. Lit "rock of the level place"
• [f]. Lit "fruit"

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.