Jeremiah 22:20

20 Ascend thou on the Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to them that pass forth, for all thy lovers be all-broken. (Go thou up to Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to those who pass forth, for all thy allies be all-broken.)

Jeremiah 22:20 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 22:20

Go up to Lebanon, and cry
These words are directed to Jerusalem and its inhabitants, and to the people of the Jews; not to go up to the temple, as the Targum interprets it, so called, because made of the wood of Lebanon, as in ( Zechariah 11:1 ) ; or, as the Rabbins say, because it made white the sins of Israel; but the mountain of Lebanon, and from thence call to their neighbours for help in their present distress, as the Assyrians and Egyptians; and lift up thy voice in Bashan;
another high hill in the land of Israel. The Targum interprets this also of the gates of the mountain of the house; so called, as Jarchi thinks, because made of the oaks of Bashan; or, as Kimchi, because there were beasts continually there for sacrifice, as in Bashan, a pasture for cattle; but the mountain itself is intended; and cry from the passages;
or "from Abarim"; a mountain of this name on the borders of Moab, ( Numbers 27:12 ) . Now these several high mountains are named, because from hence they might look around them, and call to their neighbours, if any of them could help them: it is ironically spoken, for it is suggested that none of them could: for all thy lovers are destroyed;
their friends and allies, with whom they had not only entered into leagues, but had committed spiritual fornication with them; that is, idolatry, as the Egyptians and Assyrians; but these were now subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, and were at least so weakened and destroyed by him, that they could give no assistance to the Jews; see ( 2 Kings 24:7 ) .

Jeremiah 22:20 In-Context

18 Therefore the Lord saith these things to Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, They shall not bewail him, (and say,) Woe brother! and woe sister! they shall not sound together to him (and say,) Woe lord! and woe noble man! (And so the Lord saith these things about Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, They shall not bewail him, and say, Woe brother! and woe sister! they shall not sound together for him, and say, Woe lord! and woe noble man!)
19 He shall be buried with the burying of an ass, he shall be rotten, and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem. (He shall be buried like the burying of a donkey, yea, he shall be rotten, and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.)
20 Ascend thou on the Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to them that pass forth, for all thy lovers be all-broken. (Go thou up to Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to those who pass forth, for all thy allies be all-broken.)
21 I spake to thee in thy plenty, and thou saidest, I shall not hear (I will not listen to thee); this is thy way from thy youth, for thou heardest not my voice.
22 Wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; (The wind shall carry away all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; and then thou shalt be shamed, and ashamed for all thy malice,)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.