Jeremiah 29:21 Ulasan

The contest between Jeremiah and the false prophets was carried on before by preaching, here by writing; there we had sermon against sermon, here we have letter against letter, for some of the false prophets are now carried away into captivity in Babylon, while Jeremiah remains in his own country. Now here is, I. A letter which Jeremiah wrote to the captives in Babylon, against their prophets that they had there (Jer 29:1-3), in which letter, 1. He endeavours to reconcile them to their captivity, to be easy under it and to make the best of it (Jer 29:4-7). 2. He cautions them not to give any credit to their false prophets, who fed them with hopes of a speedy release (Jer 29:8, Jer 29:9). 3. He assures them that God would restore them in mercy to their own land again, at the end of 70 years (Jer 29:10-14). 4. He foretels the destruction of those who yet continued, and that they should be persecuted with one judgment after another, and sent at last into captivity (Jer 29:15-19). 5. He prophesies the destruction of two of their false prophets that they had in Babylon, that both soothed them up in their sins and set them bad examples (Jer 29:20-23), and this is the purport of Jeremiah's letter. II. Here is a letter which Shemaiah, a false prophet in Babylon, wrote to the priests at Jerusalem, to stir them up to persecute Jeremiah (Jer 29:24-29), and a denunciation of God's wrath against him for writing such a letter (Jer 29:30-32). Such struggles as these have there always been between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 29 Thus chapter contains a letter of Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon; and gives an account of another sent from thence by Shemaiah to the people at Jerusalem; and is closed with threatening him with punishment for so doing. Jeremiah's letter concerns both the captives at Babylon, and the people left at Jerusalem, The persons to whom and by whom it was sent, and the time of writing and sending it, are mentioned in Jer 29:1; and though the prophet was the amanuensis, God was the author of it, as well as of their captivity, Jer 29:4; the contents of, it, respecting the captives, are advices to them to provide for their comfortable settlement in Babylon, and not think of returning quickly, by building houses, planting gardens, marrying, and giving in marriage, Jer 29:5; and to seek and pray for the prosperity of the place where they were; in which their own was concerned, Jer 29:7; to give no heed to their false prophets and diviners, Jer 29:8; and to expect a return to Jerusalem at the end of seventy years; which they might be assured of, since God had resolved upon it in his own mind, Jer 29:10; and especially if they called upon him, prayed to him, and sought him heartily, Jer 29:12; the other part of the letter respects the Jews in Jerusalem; concerning whom the captives are directed to observe, that both the king and people should suffer much by sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, with the reason of it, Jer 29:15; particularly it is foretold, that Ahab and Zedekiah, two lying prophets, should be made an example of vengeance; and a proverbial curse should be taken of them, because of their villany, lewdness, and lies, Jer 29:20; next follows some account of Shemaiah's letter from Babylon, to the people and priests at Jerusalem, stirring them up against Jeremiah the prophet; which came to be known, by the priests reading it to him, Jer 29:24; upon which Shemaiah is threatened with punishment, and his seed after him, Jer 29:30.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,.... See Gill on Jer 29:4; of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you: two false prophets, of whom we have no account any where else but here; and are, no doubt, the prophets, or however two of them, that they of the captivity boasted of that God had raised unto them in Babylon, Jer 29:15. The Jews (c) say, and so Jerom relates, that these are the two elders that attempted the chastity of Susannah: behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon: they should be suffered to commit some crime against the state, of which notice should be given, and they should be seized as seditious persons; which was so permitted in providence, that they might be brought to punishment for other sins they were guilty of: and he shall slay them before your eyes; by roasting them with fire: as follows: (c) R. Gedaliah Shalshelet Hakabala, fol. 80. 1.

(Verses 21-23) This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says to Ahaziah son of Coliah, and to Zedekiah son of Maasiah, who prophesy to you falsely in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. And a curse will be taken up against all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, 'May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahaziah, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they have done foolishness (or wickedness) in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their friends (or fellow citizens); and they have spoken a false word in my name, which I did not command them. I am the judge and witness, says the Lord.' The Hebrews say that these are the elders who have done foolishness in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors. To one of them, Daniel speaks: Old age of evil days. And to another: The seed of Chan has deceived you, not Judah, and desire has undermined your heart. This is what you did to the daughters of Israel, and they, being afraid, spoke with you; but the daughter of Judah did not endure your wickedness. And what the Prophet now speaks: And they have spoken a word in my name falsely, which I did not command them; they think that it signifies that those wretched women who are carried about by every wind of doctrine have deceived them, by saying to them that because they were of the tribe of Judah, Christ was to be born from their own seed; enticed by desire, they offered their bodies as if they were future mothers of Christ; But what is said at present: whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, seems to contradict the story of Daniel. For he asserts that they were stoned to death according to the judgment of Daniel by the people: but here it is written, that the king of Babylon cast them into the fire. Hence, by most and almost all Hebrews, it is not received as a true story, nor read in their synagogues, as if it were a fable itself. For, say they, how could it happen that captive princes and their prophets had the power of stoning? And they affirm more strongly that this is true, which Jeremiah writes, that the elders were convicted indeed by Daniel, but that the judgment against them was pronounced by the king of Babylon, who held dominion over the captives as a victor and lord. How many, similar to Ahab and Zedekiah from our flock, prophesy falsehood in the name of the Lord, and commit foolishness in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their fellow citizens who were born in the same city of the Church! Those whom the true Nebuchadnezzar freezes in the fire of sin, as the prophet Hosea says: 'All those who commit adultery are like an overheated oven, ignited by the baker' (Hosea 7:4). Blessed is he who takes off the yoke from his youth, and sits alone, because he is filled with bitterness (Lamentations 3); he can say with David: 'I have not sat in the council of the wicked, and I will not enter with the evildoers' (Psalm 26:4). And what the Prophet now declares: 'I am the judge and witness,' says the Lord, has this meaning: 'What I say about the two false prophets, who speak my word falsely in my name, which I did not command them, I did not know by mere opinion, but I know for sure to be true, which no one can hide, nor escape from the truth of my judgment.'

LETTER OF JEREMIAH TO THE CAPTIVES IN BABYLON, TO COUNTERACT THE ASSURANCES GIVEN BY THE FALSE PROPHETS OF A SPEEDY RESTORATION. (Jer. 29:1-32) residue of the elders--those still surviving from the time when they were carried to Babylon with Jeconiah; the other elders of the captives had died by either a natural or a violent death.

Zedekiah--brother of Zephaniah (Jer 29:25), both being sons of Maaseiah; probably of the same family as the false prophet under Ahab in Israel (Kg1 22:11, Kg1 22:24).

After having set forth the divine determination, the prophet's letter addresses itself specially against the false prophets and tells them their punishment from God. Jer 29:21. "Thus saith Jahveh, the God of hosts, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy to you in my name falsely: Behold, I give them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, that he may smite them before your eyes. Jer 29:22. And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the exiles of Judah that are in Babylon, saying: Jahveh make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, Jer 29:23. Because they have done folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken in my name lying words which I have not commanded them. But I know it and am witness, saith Jahveh." - Beyond what is here told, we know nothing of these two pseudo-prophets. The name אחאב is written in Jer 29:20 without א; thus the Kametz comes to be under the ח, and in consequence of this the Pathach is changed into a Seghol "Smite," i.e., slay. The manner of their death is called, probably with allusion to the name Kolaiah, קלה, roast, burn in a heated furnace; a mode of execution usual in Babylon, acc. to Dan 3:6. This punishment is to fall on them because of two kinds of sin: 1. Because they have done folly in Israel, namely, committed adultery with their neighbours' wives; 2. Because they have prophesied falsely in the name of Jahveh. Except in Jos 7:15, the phrase: commit folly in Israel, is always used of the grosser sins of uncleanness; see on Gen 34:7. So here also. - The Chet. הוידע is expounded in the Keri by היּודע, according to which there has been a transposition of the letters ו and י, as in Jer 2:25; Jer 8:6, etc. Still the article here is extraordinary, since עד has none. Therefore J. D. Mich., Ew., Hitz., Graf suppose we should read הוּ ידע, the א having been dropped from הוּא in scriptio continua, as it often is, especially after י, in הביא and other words, cf. Jer 19:15; Jer 39:16, Kg1 21:29, etc. הוּא is then the copula between subject and predicate, as in Isa 43:25; cf. Ew. 297, b.