HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  Execute justice in the morning,

  and deliver from the hand of the oppressor

  anyone who has been robbed,

  or else my wrath will go forth like fire,

  and burn, with no one to quench it,

  because of your evil doings.

  13See, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,

  O rock of the plain,

  says the LORD;

  you who say, “Who can come down against us,

  or who can enter our places of refuge?”

  14I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,

  says the LORD;

  I will kindle a fire in its forest,

  and it shall devour all that is around it.

  next chapter

  * * *

  21.1–10 Oracle against Zedekiah and Jerusalem. The setting given to the narrative appears to be 588 BCE, after Zedekiah had rebelled against Babylonian rule. The narrative consists of two parts: an oracle against Jerusalem and Zedekiah (vv. 1–7) and a conditional offer of salvation only to those who surrender (vv. 8–10). The narrative is similar to another one that tells of two other emissaries sent to the prophet by Zedekiah, perhaps a short time after this occasion (37.3–10). Also cf. 34.1–7, which contains another warning to Zedekiah.

  21.1 Zedekiah reigned 597–587/6 BCE. A son of Josiah and a descendant of David, Zedekiah was placed on the throne by Nebuchadrezzar (605/4–562) after his first conquest of Jerusalem in 597. Against Jeremiah’s repeated warnings, Zedekiah rebelled against the Babylonians, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the second exile in 587. Zedekiah was blinded by Nebuchadrezzar and taken to Babylon (2 Kings 24.18–25.7). Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, a prince who owned the cistern in which Jeremiah was imprisoned (38.6). Malchiah may have been a son of Zedekiah. Not to be confused with the priest of the same name in 20.1–6, this Pashhur was a royal prince under Zedekiah (see 38.1). One of his descendants served as a priest during the time of Nehemiah (1 Chr 9.12; Neh 11.12). Zephaniah, a priest, was the overseer of the temple who had been rebuked by Shemaiah, a Jewish prophet in Babylonia, for not opposing Jeremiah’s prophecy to the first exiles in 597 BCE that the exile would be a long one. Shemaiah insisted Jeremiah be imprisoned. Refusing to imprison the prophet, Zephaniah simply read the letter to Jeremiah, who in turn issued an oracle of judgment against Shemaiah and his descendants (see ch. 29). Zephaniah was executed by Nebuchadrezzar at Riblah after the fall of Jerusalem in 587.

  21.2 Inquire of the LORD, consult the Lord through a prophet (10.21;37.2). A wonderful deed, one of God’s mighty acts, especially deeds of judgment and redemption, in the realm of history (Ex 3.20; Pss 9.1; 26.7; 86.10). The “mighty deeds” celebrated in Jewish faith were the exodus from Egypt, victory at the Red Sea, guidance in the Sinai wilderness, and the taking of the land of Canaan. Zedekiah is hoping for a similar act of deliverance in the face of the Babylonian invasion and siege. Nebuchadrezzar (Akkadian Nabu-kudurriutzur) means both “May Nabu [a Babylonian deity] protect the boundary” and “May Nabu protect the off-spring.” A variant spelling, Nebuchadnezzar, occurs elsewhere in the OT. See, e.g., 27.6, 8, 20; 28.11; 29.3; 2 Kings 24.10–11; 25.1, 8; Dan 1.1, 18; 2.1, 28; 3.1; 4.1;5.1.

  21.3–7 The Lord will not protect the city as was expected in traditional Jewish faith (Pss 46; 48; 76; Isa 31.4–5). Instead, God will fight against Jerusalem and bring victory to the Babylonians (here and elsewhere in the OT also called Chaldeans). This is a reversal of “holy war” theology, in which God fights on Israel’s behalf (see the holy-war campaigns in Josh 1–12). Equally devastating is the news that the Lord will not defend the king who is a son of David. Royal theology is based on a covenant between God and David (2 Sam 7; Ps 89). Because of a divine promise and steadfast love (Hebrew chesed), God would support forever the royal line, even though there would be descendants of David evil enough to be punished. The king, who ruled on behalf of God, would receive divine aid against his enemies as long as he was faithful (see the royal psalms: Pss 2; 18; 20; 21; 45; 72; 89; 110).

  21.8–10 This speech addresses the people of Jerusalem, not the king. The oracle of conditional salvation follows a covenantal formula found elsewhere only in Deut 30.15, 19: I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. This “either-or” formula, which asks the audience to choose life or death by obedience to or rejection of the covenant requirements, occurs in the prose narratives and sermons in Jeremiah 7.1–15;17.19–27; 22.1–5 (see Deut 28; 30.15–20; Josh 24). Jeremiah believed that the Babylonians were the instrument of God’s will. To resist them was to resist God. Thus, the prophet consistently warned both leaders and people to bow the knee to Nebuchadrezzar or face disastrous consequences (27.6; 38.17–18). As a result of his position on the Babylonian question Jeremiah was considered a traitor by some leaders (see 37.13–14).

  21.11–23.8 Concerning the house of David. This collection consists of poetic oracles and prose sermons that address the related themes of Davidic kingship (“the house of David”) and Jerusalem (the political capital and religious center of the kingdom of Judah). The key expressions are house (dynasty and palace) and (cedars of) Lebanon (representing the city of Jerusalem, palace, and temple). The collection consists of general speeches addressed to the house of David, oracles concerning specific kings, oracles mentioning future rulers and a messiah, and others that speak of Jerusalem. The references to Lebanon recall that cedars of Lebanon were used in the construction of the palace and temple (1 Kings 5–7; 9.10–28). The general oracles addressed to the house of David are 21.11–12 (poetry); 22.1–5 (prose); 22.6–7 (poetry). The poetic oracles concerning individual kings are 22.10 (Jehoahaz, or Shallum); 22.13–19 (Jehoiakim); 22.28–30 (Jehoiachin, or Coniah). The prose sermons about specific kings are 22.11–12 (Jehoahaz); 22.24–27 (Jehoiachin). Curiously, two kings who are not the direct subject of an oracle are Josiah (indirectly mentioned in 22.15–16) and Zedekiah (an allusion to him may occur in wordplays on righteous Branch and The LORD is our righteousness in 23.5–6). 23.1–8 contains prose sermons about the future, including the promise of shepherds (i.e., kings; see note on 3.15) who will rule faithfully in contrast to their evil predecessors, and a messianic oracle about a righteous Branch, who will rule according to wisdom and justice. Finally, several speeches deal with Jerusalem (this city, Lebanon):21.13–14 (poetry); 22.8–9 (prose); 22.20–23 (poetry). The strong criticism of kings and the city of Jerusalem (the location of palace and temple) indicate that Jeremiah blamed the Jerusalem establishment (kings, princes [officers], prophets, and priests) for the violation of the Mosaic covenant, including especially religious and political apostasy. Although Jeremiah may not have been opposed in principle to the existence of the related institutions of palace and temple, they did not have an important place in his theological understanding of the relationship between God, Israel and Judah, and the pagan nations. Later prose sermons attributed to the prophet point to the reestablishment of kingship and temple in Jerusalem and their importance to the future restoration (23.1–8; 30.9; 33.14–26), but whether they accurately reflect Jeremiah’s own view is questionable.

  21.11–14 General oracles against the house of David and Jerusalem. Two poetic oracles introduce the collection: a warning for kings to rule justly (vv. 11–12) and a judgment against Jerusalem (vv. 13–14).

  21.11–12 This warning to the monarchy takes the form of an admonition in apodictic (unconditional) style (see Isa 1.16–17; 56.1; Ezek 45.9; Am 5.4b, 14–15). Execute (or “act with”) justice recurs in 22.3, 15; 23.5. For Jeremiah, destruction is avoided only by the practice of justice, not by an unconditional promise to preserve the monarchy forever (cf. 2 Sam 7.11–16; Ps 89). Although ruling descendants of David would be punished for evil acts and injustice, the Lord’s covenant with the house of David, outlined in 2 Sam 7; Ps 89, promises an eternal reign for the dynasty. To execute justice involves more than simply a judicial responsibility. To rule justly means that the king maintains the cosmic and
social order and produces well-being for the nation (see Ps 72).

  21.13–14 This introductory oracle includes a threat in v. 13 (see 23.30–32; 50.31; 51.25) and judgment in v. 14. Inhabitant of the valley, better “one enthroned over the valley,” Jerusalem. Inhabitant in Hebrew is a feminine participle, thus agreeing with the Hebrew word for “city,” which is also feminine. Rock of the plain is not an appellation for Jerusalem elsewhere in the Bible, but “rock” is a common metaphor for God, occurring some thirty-three times (see Deut 32; Isa 17.10; Pss 31.3; 62.7; 71.3). The reference may be a parody of Zion theology, i.e., the belief that God will defend the city against its enemies (Pss 46; 48; 76; Isa 31.4–5). Forest (of Lebanon), the palace (see 1 Kings 7.2–12;10.17, 21; Isa 22.8) and possibly the temple as well (1 Kings 6.9–36), since both were built from the cedars of Lebanon. Thus the fire will burn down the city and its two major buildings, the palace and the temple.

  JEREMIAH 22

  Exhortation to Repent

  1Thus says the LORD: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2and say: Hear the word of the LORD, O King of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. 3Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you will indeed obey this word, then through the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. 5But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. 6For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah:

  You are like Gilead to me,

  like the summit of Lebanon;

  but I swear that I will make you a desert,

  an uninhabited city.a

  7I will prepare destroyers against you,

  all with their weapons;

  they shall cut down your choicest cedars

  and cast them into the fire.

  8And many nations will pass by this city, and all of them will say one to another, “Why has the LORD dealt in this way with that great city?” 9And they will answer, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.”

  10Do not weep for him who is dead,

  nor bemoan him;

  weep rather for him who goes away,

  for he shall return no more

  to see his native land.

  Message to the Sons of Josiah

  11For thus says the LORD concerning Shallum son of King Josiah of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah, and who went away from this place: He shall return here no more, 12but in the place where they have carried him captive he shall die, and he shall never see this land again.

  13Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,

  and his upper rooms by injustice;

  who makes his neighbors work for nothing,

  and does not give them their wages;

  14who says, “I will build myself a spacious house

  with large upper rooms,”

  and who cuts out windows for it,

  paneling it with cedar,

  and painting it with vermilion.

  15Are you a king

  because you compete in cedar?

  Did not your father eat and drink

  and do justice and righteousness?

  Then it was well with him.

  16He judged the cause of the poor and needy;

  then it was well.

  Is not this to know me?

  says the LORD.

  17But your eyes and heart

  are only on your dishonest gain,

  for shedding innocent blood,

  and for practicing oppression and violence.

  18Therefore thus says the LORD concerning King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah:

  They shall not lament for him, saying,

  “Alas, my brother!” or “Alas, sister!”

  They shall not lament for him, saying,

  “Alas, lord!” or “Alas, his majesty!”

  19With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried—

  dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

  20Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,

  and lift up your voice in Bashan;

  cry out from Abarim,

  for all your lovers are crushed.

  21I spoke to you in your prosperity,

  but you said, “I will not listen.”

  This has been your way from your youth,

  for you have not obeyed my voice.

  22The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,

  and your lovers shall go into captivity;

  then you will be ashamed and dismayed

  because of all your wickedness.

  23O inhabitant of Lebanon,

  nested among the cedars,

  how you will groanb when pangs come upon you,

  pain as of a woman in labor!

  Judgment on Coniah (Jehoiachin)

  24As I live, says the LORD, even if King Coniah son of Jehoiakim of Judah were the signet ring on my right hand, even from there I would tear you off 25and give you into the hands of those who seek your life, into the hands of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and into the hands of the Chaldeans. 26I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27But they shall not return to the land to which they long to return.

  28Is this man Coniah a despised broken pot,

  a vessel no one wants?

  Why are he and his offspring hurled out

  and cast away in a land that they do not know?

  29O land, land, land,

  hear the word of the LORD!

  30Thus says the LORD:

  Record this man as childless,

  a man who shall not succeed in his days;

  for none of his offspring shall succeed

  in sitting on the throne of David,

  and ruling again in Judah.

  * * *

  a Cn: Heb uninhabited cities

  b Gk Vg Syr: Heb will be pitied

  22.1–5 An exhortation to kings. This prose sermon, deriving from the exile or later, is an elaboration of the poetic oracle in 21.11–12. It is also in the conditional “either-or” style: obey the covenant by ruling justly and the monarchy will continue; disobey and suffer the end of the dynasty. The sermon seeks to provide the reason for the destruction of the palace and the ending of monarchical succession.

  22.1 Jeremiah is to go down to the house of the king of Judah, i.e., descend from the temple to the palace.

  22.3 Alien, orphan, widow. See Deut 16.11, 14; 24.19–21; note on 7.6.

  22.5 I swear by myself. Oaths in the Hebrew Bible generally invoked the name of God for validation. They were serious expressions of obligation and were expected to be kept (Lev 5.1–4; Ps 15.4). Oaths were accompanied by symbolic acts, most often the raising of the hand toward heaven (Dan 12.7; Rev 10.5–6). Even God raises the hand in oath-taking (Isa 62.8; Ezek 20.5). Curses, expressed or implied, often accompanied oaths (Ruth 1.17; 1 Sam 3.17; 1 Kings 2.23). Here the curse is replaced with a stern warning: this house (palace) shall become a desolation. Desolation often refers to the ruins of cities ravaged by disaster (25.18;27.17; 44.2, 6; Lev 26.31; Isa 44.26).

  22.6–7 Judgment against the palace. This poetic oracle of judgment contains language that connects it to 21.13–14 (cedars and fire, 22.7; fire in its forest, 21.14).

  22.6 The introduction addresses the oracle to the house of the king of Judah (i.e., the monarchy or the palace). Gilead, a region in the Transjordan located between Bashan and Moab. It was a mountainous and heavily forested area. Summit of Lebanon, a mountainous area also noted for its forests. Both are mentioned because of their fores
ts. The palace of Solomon was designated as a forest, because it was constructed of cedars from Lebanon (1 Kings 7.1–12; see note on 21.13–14). Uninhabited city, lit. “uninhabited cities,” a hyperbole indicating the terrible destruction that is facing the palace.

  22.8–9 An explanation of Jerusalem’s destruction. Originating in the exile, this prose commentary in the form of a question and answer explains why Jerusalem and the palace were destroyed. The answer is the violation of the Mosaic covenant and the worship of other gods (see 5.19; 9.12–16; 13.12–14; 15.1–4; 16.10–13; Deut 29.22–28; 1 Kings 9.8–9).

  22.10–12 Concerning Jehoahaz (Shallum). A fragment of a poetic oracle concerning two unidentified males (one dead and the other in exile) is followed by a prose sermon naming the exiled male as Shallum (Jehoahaz).

  22.10 An admonition to the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem not to engage in lamentation over King Josiah, who died at the hands of the Egyptians at Megiddo in 609 BCE, thus bringing to an end the nationalistic dream of a Jewish state free from foreign domination. Rather, the people should lament the exile of Jehoahaz (609), who was chosen by the “people of the land” (male landowners, 2 Kings 23.30) to succeed his father, Josiah, to the throne. After only three months Neco replaced him with another son of Josiah, Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23.34).

  22.11–12 A prose commentary, deriving from the exile or later, explaining that the person in v. 10 who is exiled is Shallum (see Ezek 19.2–4). “Shallum” is the personal name (see 1 Chr 3.15) of the king whose royal name, given to him upon ascending the throne, is Jehoahaz. Jehoahaz died in Egyptian exile (2 Kings 23.34).

  22.13–19 Against King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim (throne name; Eliakim, birth name; 2 Kings 23.34; 609–598 BCE), a son of Josiah and descendant of David, was put on the throne by Neco II (see Introduction) to replace his younger brother, Jehoahaz. Thus, Jehoiakim ruled without a contract with the male landowners (“the people of the land”) and with no evidence of prophetic or priestly anointing. After Nebuchadrezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605, Jehoiakim became a Babylonian vassal. After three years Jehoiakim rebelled against the Babylonians, resulting in his death during the siege of Jerusalem. The city surrendered to Nebuchadrezzar in 597 (see 2 Kings 23.34–24.7). The speech against Jehoiakim is a poetic judgment oracle. The indictment (vv. 13–17) includes using compulsory, uncompensated labor to build a luxurious palace and practicing injustice. The announcement of judgment (vv. 18–19) speaks of the eventual demise of Jehoiakim, who will neither be lamented nor buried with royal honors.