Jeremiah 49:20

20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He hath taken against Edom, and His purposes that He hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely He shall make their habitations desolate with them.

Jeremiah 49:20 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 49:20

Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that he hath taken
against Edom
The decree of the Lord; the purpose and resolution he had taken up in his heart against the Idumeans, which was wisely formed, and upon just and good grounds: and his purposes that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of
Teman;
a principal place in Edom, the inhabitants of which were famous for their wisdom, ( Jeremiah 49:7 ) ; and therefore are here particularly mentioned; there being no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord, so as to frustrate his purposes and designs, which have always their effect, ( Proverbs 19:21 ) ( 21:30 ) ; surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
not the Persians, the least of the sons of Japheth, as some Rabbins in Jarchi F3; nor the Israelites, as Kimchi, particularly Rachel's sons, or the posterity of Joseph and Benjamin; but the common soldiers, the weakest and most feeble in the Chaldean army: as princes are compared to shepherds, their people are like flocks; and now the least of these in the king of Babylon's army should be a match for the strongest of the Edomites; and should draw them out of their habitations, as dogs or wolves drag sheep out of the folds, and draw about dead carcasses, and devour them. The words are in the form of an oath, "if the least of the flock do not draw them out"; that is, as I live they shall; or I swear by myself they shall certainly do it; so the Targum,

``if they do not draw and kill the mighty of the people:''
surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them;
or, "their folds"; the sheep shall be destroyed, and their folds shall be demolished; that is, the inhabitants of Edom shall be slain with the sword, and their cities, towns, and villages, shall be laid waste.
FOOTNOTES:

F3 Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 10. 1.

Jeremiah 49:20 In-Context

18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof," saith the LORD, "no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the Jordan against the habitation of the strong; but I will suddenly make him run away from her. And who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? And who will appoint Me a time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before Me?"
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He hath taken against Edom, and His purposes that He hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely He shall make their habitations desolate with them.
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall; at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea.
22 Behold, He shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread His wings over Bozrah; and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.