Jeremiah 28:5 Komentář

In the foregoing chapter Jeremiah had charged those prophets with lies who foretold the speedy breaking of the yoke of the king of Babylon and the speedy return of the vessels of the sanctuary; how here we have his contest with a particular prophet upon those heads. I. Hananiah, a pretender to prophecy, in contradiction to Jeremiah, foretold the sinking of Nebuchadnezzar's power and the return both of the persons and of the vessels that were carried away (Jer 28:1-4), and, as a sing of this, he broke the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah (Jer 28:10, Jer 28:11). II. Jeremiah wished his words might prove true, but appealed to the event whether they were so or no, not doubting but that would disprove them (Jer 28:5-9). III. The doom both of the deceived and the deceiver is here read. The people that were deceived should have their yoke of wood turned into a yoke of iron (Jer 28:12-14), and the prophet that was the deceiver should be shortly cut off by death, and he was so, accordingly, within two months (Jer 28:15-17).

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 28 Thus chapter relates a false prophecy of Hananiah, who broke off the yoke from Jeremiah; but in return the people are threatened with an iron yoke, and he with death; which came to pass. The time, place, and substance of his prophecy, are in Jer 28:1; Jeremiah's answer to it, Jer 28:5; Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke, and explains the meaning of it to the people, Jer 28:10; Jeremiah prophesies that iron yokes should be given instead of wooden ones, Jer 28:12; and foretells the death of the false prophet, Jer 28:15.

Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah,.... The false prophet, as he is called by the Targum, Syriac, and Arabic versions: in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord; waiting and worshipping in the temple; and said boldly and before them all, in answer to Hananiah's prophecy, what follows.

(Vers. 5, 6.) And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Ananias, in the eyes of the priests and in the eyes of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord. And Jeremiah the prophet said: Amen, let the Lord do so. May the Lord fulfill your words that you prophesied; so that the vessels may be brought back to the house of the Lord, and all the exile of Babylon to this place. He wishes to become what the false prophet lies about, for this is what Amen signifies: a word that the Lord often uses in the Gospel: Amen, amen I say to you (John 5:19). And he desires, for the prosperity of things, to speak more kindly than strictly. Hence another prophet bears witness, saying: O that I were not a man having the spirit, and spoke rather falsehood (Micah 2:11). On the contrary, Jonah is distressed why he lied, and is reproved by the Lord, that it is more profitable for prophets to speak falsehood than the multitude of such ruin (Jonah 3). And lest he seem to approve the prophecy of a false prophet, he asserts the truth under the example of others lying without injury.

PROPHECIES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THOSE IN THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. HANANIAH BREAKS THE YOKES TO SIGNIFY THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S YOKE SHALL BE BROKEN. JEREMIAH FORETELLS THAT YOKES OF IRON ARE TO SUCCEED THOSE OF WOOD, AND THAT HANANIAH SHALL DIE. (Jer. 28:1-17) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah--The Jews often divided any period into two halves, the beginning and the end. As Zedekiah reigned eleven years, the fourth year would be called the beginning of his reign, especially as during the first three years affairs were in such a disturbed state that he had little power or dignity, being a tributary; but in the fourth year he became strong in power. Hananiah--Another of this name was one of the three godly youths who braved Nebuchadnezzar's wrath in the fear of God (Dan 1:6-7; Dan 3:12). Probably a near relation, for Azariah is associated with him; as Azur with the Hananiah here. The godly and ungodly are often in the same family (Eze 18:14-20). Gibeon--one of the cities of the priests, to which order he must have belonged.

the prophet Jeremiah--the epithet, "the prophet," is prefixed to "Jeremiah" throughout this chapter, to correspond to the same epithet before "Hananiah"; except in Jer 28:12, where "the prophet" has been inserted in English Version. The rival claims of the true and the false prophet are thus put in the more prominent contrast.

Against the False Prophet Hananiah. - Jer 28:1-4. This man's prophecy. At the same time, namely in the fourth year of Zedekiah (cf. rem. on Jer 27:1. The Chet. בּשׁנת is supported by Jer 46:2 and Jer 51:59; the Keri בּשּׁנה is an unnecessary alteration), in the fifth month, spake Hananiah the son of Azur, - a prophet not otherwise known, belonging to Gibeon, a city of the priests (Jos 21:17; now Jib, a large village two hours north-west of Jerusalem; see on Jos 9:3), possibly therefore himself a priest - in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and people assembled there, saying: Jer 28:2. "Thus hath Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel, said: I break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Jer 28:3. Within two years I bring again into this place the vessels of the house of Jahveh, which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took away from this place and carried them to Babylon. Jer 28:4. And Jechoniah, the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah, and all the captives of Judah that went into Babylon, bring I again to this place, saith Jahveh; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon." - The false prophet endeavours to stamp on his prediction the impress of a true, God-inspired prophecy, by copying the title of God, so often used by Jeremiah, "Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel," and by giving the utmost definiteness to his promise: "within two years" (in contrast to Jeremiah's seventy years). "Two years" is made as definite as possible by the addition of ימים: two years in days, i.e., in two full years.See on Gen 41:1; Sa2 13:23.

Jeremiah's reply. - First Jeremiah admits that the fulfilment of this prediction would be desirable (Jer 28:6), but then reminds his opponent that all the prophets of the Lord up till this time have prophesied of war and calamity (Jer 28:7 and Jer 28:8). So that if a prophet, in opposition to these witnesses of God, predicts nothing but peace and safety, then nothing short of the fulfilment of his prediction can make good his claim to be a true prophet (Jer 28:9). - Jeremiah's answer is to this effect: Jer 28:6. "Amen (i.e., yea), may Jahveh so do! may Jahveh perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of Jahveh's house and all the captives from Babylon into this place. Jer 28:7. Only hear now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people. Jer 28:8. The prophets that were before me and before thee from of old, they prophesied concerning many lands and great kingdoms, of war, and of trouble, and of pestilence. Jer 28:9. The prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet cometh to pass, shall be known as the prophet that Jahveh hath truly sent. - As to אמן, yea, see on Jer 11:5. The scope of this assent is straightway defined in "may Jahveh so do." But in order that the hearers may not misunderstand his assent, Jeremiah proceeds to show that hitherto only threatening predictions have carried with them the presumption of their being true prophecies, inasmuch as it is these alone that have been in harmony with the predictions of all previous prophets. ויּנּבאוּ (Jer 28:8) is explained by the fact that "the prophets" with the accompany relative clause is made to precede absolute-wise. In the same absolute manner the clause "the prophet...peace" is disposed so that after the verb יוּדע the word הנּביא is repeated. For לרעה many MSS have לרעב; manifestly an adaptation to passages like Jer 14:12; Jer 21:9; Jer 24:10; Jer 27:8, Jer 27:13; Jer 29:17., where sword, famine, and pestilence are mentioned together as three modes of visitation by God; whereas only the general word רעה seems in place here, when mentioned alongside of "war." For this very reason Hitz. rejects רעב as being the least difficult reading, while Ew. takes it under his protection on account of the parallel passages, not considering that the train of thought is different there. - The truth expressed in Jer 28:9 is based on the Mosaic law concerning prophecy, Deu 18:21., where the fulfilment of the prediction is given as the test of true, God-inspired prophecy.