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By Dr Peter Pett BA BD (Hons-London) DD.
SECTION 2 (26.1-45.5).
Whilst the first twenty five chapters of Jeremiah have mainly been a record of his general prophecies, mostly given during the reigns of Josiah and Jehoiakim, and have been in the first person, this second section of Jeremiah (26.1-45.5) is in the third person, includes a great deal of material about the problems that Jeremiah faced during his ministry and provides information about the opposition that he continually encountered. This use of the third person was a device regularly used by prophets so that it does not necessarily indicate that it was not directly the work of Jeremiah, although in his case we actually have good reason to think that much of it was recorded under his guidance by his amanuensis and friend, Baruch (36.4).
It can be divided up as follows:
Section 2 Subsection 1 Commencing With A Speech In The Temple Jeremiah Warns Of What Is Coming And Repudiates The Promises Of The False Prophets, And While Opposed By The Hierarchy, Has His Own Status As A Prophet Recognised by Many Of The People (26.1-29.32).
The danger of dividing the prophecy up into sections and subsections, as we have done, is that we can lose something of the continuity of the prophecy. Thus while the divisions in this case are seemingly clear, the continuity must not be overlooked. What follows in 26.1-29.32 must be seen in fact as a subsequent explanation expanding on what Jeremiah has already said in chapter 25 concerning both the evil coming on Jerusalem and the seventy year period of Babylonian domination. And we now discover that this was in direct contrast with what was being currently declared by the cult prophets mentioned so prominently in chapter 23.
The whole subsection thus brings out the threat under which Judah was standing, and the direct rivalry existing between Jeremiah and his supporters, and the cult prophets, a rivalry which was caused by their deeply contrasting views about the future. It commences with the fact that the cult prophets combined with the priests in arraigning Jeremiah and seeking his death in chapter 26, something which is followed by examples of their activities and their continued opposition to Jeremiah, thus illustrating what was described in 23.9-40. This section too could have been headed ‘concerning the prophets’, were it not that its tentacles reached out further.
The subsection is a unity. It commences at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim bringing out the new situation that had arisen with the death of Josiah and the advent of a new king who ‘did what was evil in the eyes of YHWH’ (2 Kings 23.37), continues by showing that from that time on Jeremiah wore a yoke about his neck as an indication that Judah was no longer an independent nation, something which goes on until things are brought to a head during the reign of Zedekiah when the yoke is broken from his neck by a prophet who prophesies falsely and dies as a result. Meanwhile Jeremiah has sent duplicates of his yoke to the kings of surrounding nations who are contemplating rebellion against Babylon, to warn them against such rebellion. And the subsection closes with a letter from him to the exiles in Babylonia warning them against expecting a swift return, resulting in a return letter from a prominent prophet calling for the arraignment of Jeremiah.
The subsection itself divides up as follows:
A). Jeremiah Declares In The Temple That If Judah Will Not Repent Their Sanctuary Will End Up like That at Shiloh, Which Was Destroyed By The Philistines, And Their City Will Be Subject To YHWH’s Curse. This Results In His Being Brought Before The Authorities For What Were Seen As Treasonable Utterances (26.1-24).
The chapter commences with a statement of his source of authority, ‘the word of YHWH’. ‘In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim -- came this word from YHWH saying --’ (26.1), and goes on to describe a speech made in the Temple which includes a call to repentance, followed by a warning that if they did not take heed their city would become a curse and their Temple would be made ‘like Shiloh’, which was where the original Temple/Tabernacle had been destroyed, presumably by the Philistines, in the days of Samuel. Subsequent attacks on Jeremiah by the priests and prophets are then described, although ameliorated by a counter-argument put forward by ‘the elders of the people of the land’ who cite the prophecies of Micah in Jeremiah’s defence. A reminder of what happened to another loyal prophet of YHWH named Uriah is then given.
26.1 ‘In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from YHWH, saying,’
The prophecy is dated as ‘in the beginning’ of the reign of Jehoiakim. This may be a technical description indicating the initial period after Jehoiakim came to the throne prior to his ‘first (full) year’ which would commence at the new year. Alternately it may just be a general indicator. But we know that it must have been fairly early on in his reign because it is later made clear that relationships with Egypt were still prominent. Babylon had not yet come on the scene. The mention of Jehoiakim’s descent from Josiah is, in context, a reminder of the reforms of that good king, and brings out that what follows was a new state of affairs which Josiah would not have countenanced. It was already therefore an indicator that Judah’s downward slide had openly recommenced.
26.2 “Thus says YHWH, Stand in the court of YHWH’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in YHWH’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Diminish not a word.”
The command came from YHWH that Jeremiah was to stand and proclaim His word in the outer court of YHWH’s house where a large number ‘from all the cities of Judah’ who had come up to the feast would be present. It is apparent that amidst all their idolatry, the regular worship of YHWH still continued, but the problem was that their hearts were not in it, with their loyalties being more directed towards the Baals on the high places.
Jeremiah was to speak what YHWH commanded, and not to hold back from declaring the whole truth, or to relax from declaring all His commandments. He must ‘diminish not a word’ (compare Deuteronomy 4.2; 12.32). It is the sign of a true man of God that, while not being unwise (courting persecution is never godly), he holds nothing back of what God wants him to say.
Many see this Temple speech as paralleling the one in 7.1 ff. with this being simply a summary of that speech. Certainly they contain a similar emphasis, and it is therefore something which can neither be proved nor disproved, in which case we may see the speech in 7.1 ff. as filling in the details here. But as there is little doubt that it contained a message whose content would have been reproduced on a number of occasions (Jeremiah often repeats himself), this may well be a similar message proclaimed at a different time rather than the same one. This could be seen as supported by the fact that here it is the city’s fate which is the prime emphasis whereas in chapter 7 the concentration was on the Temple. Furthermore it will be noted that in 7.1 ff. there is no indication of a violent reaction to his message.
‘Diminish not a word.’ Such a command was very necessary and a reminder of the difficulty and danger surrounding Jeremiah’s ministry. It would have been very tempting for him to take the sting out of some of what he was saying so as to make it more acceptable. But he must not do so. Jeremiah was well aware of the feelings and excitable nature of the people and he knew that he was demolishing what they saw as guaranteed truths, namely that:
These things being granted, they would have argued, why should they believe that the Temple would be destroyed or that they would be removed from the land? To declare such things was to go against their cherished beliefs, and to attack what they saw as their national and ‘rightful’ heritage.
26.3 “It may be they will listen, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings.”
YHWH declares here what His real desire is. It is that they would listen and turn from their evil ways so that He Himself would not have to bring His severe judgment on them. We are reminded of Peter’s words, ‘The Lord -- is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (2 Peter 3.9). It is a reminder that in His love and compassion God desires to give every man a fair opportunity, and that in His heart He longed for Judah’s repentance. This emphasises the fact that while it was true that Manasseh’s behaviour had sealed Judah’s doom (15.4), it was only so because it was his influence that had stirred up their latent sinfulness and had largely made them unwilling to repent. Had they genuinely repented and maintained that repentance, Manasseh’s sin would have counted for nothing.
We have here a reminder that man was created as a free will being who chooses his own way. It is only the fact that he always chooses the way of sin that makes the sovereign work of God in salvation necessary. For the truth is that while men and women may of themselves repent of particular sins, full repentance is something that is beyond them without God’s gracious working. That is why, at its foundation, ‘salvation is of the Lord’, and why all attempts to be saved apart from Him will fail.
26.4-6 “And you shall say to them,
This abbreviated content of what must have been a larger speech sums up his message, which was that if they failed to walk in accordance with the covenant, and refused to listen to the genuine prophets, then in the end their Temple would be made like Shiloh (destroyed and non-existent) and their holy city would become a curse (subjected to the curses of Deuteronomy 28). In other words he was contradicting all that they firmly believed, and suggesting that they were not as secure as they had thought. Their city becoming a curse continued the thought in 25.29, 37.
‘If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you.’ YHWH stresses that He had personally spoken to them from Mount Sinai and had made clear to them His requirements. Thus to fall short of obedience to His Instruction (Torah, Law) was to directly disobey Him.
‘To listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, even rising up early and sending them -.’ compare 25.4. They had also refused to listen to Him subsequently when He had sent His servants, the prophets. We know of many of these prophets and ‘men of God’ from the early records (Joshua-Chronicles), and they would have been known to them from their tradition. And He stresses that He had not been backward in sending them. He had, as it were, risen up early in order to send them, demonstrating real effort and determination (a typical Jeremaic phrase).
‘But you have not listened.’ But they had not listened to them either. Their hearts had been set obstinately against obeying YHWH’s covenant requirements. This indeed was why they now came under the curses contained within that covenant (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28).
‘Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.’ And because of their failure to listen to Him and respond to His covenant He would ‘make their house like Shiloh’ and ‘make their city a curse’. What had happened at Shiloh was proof positive, for those who would listen, that God’s Sanctuary was never seen by Him as inviolable. So let them remember Shiloh where the Tabernacle had been erected after the Conquest, and which, as a result of additional outbuildings, had itself become a kind of Temple. But when His people had been disobedient in the time of Samuel that had been destroyed, and furthermore this fact that YHWH had forsaken His Sanctuary in this way was ironically something that they often sang about (Psalm 78.60). It was precisely because YHWH had forsaken it that it was no more. And the same could therefore happen to their present Temple.
On top of this the covenant had been backed up by curses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28). Thus if they were disobedient to that covenant they should expect their holy city to be cursed in the eyes of all nations, and to suffer the doom described in the curses. That would in itself vindicate the covenant. It is a salutary reminder that in the end God’s truth is in the final analysis demonstrated by judgment.
But we can clearly see why, spoken to an excitable people, made more excitable by the festival atmosphere, these words could cause more than a stir. They had come to the feasts with such confidence that ‘they were doing right by YHWH’, and so full of self-satisfaction at being uniquely ‘the people of God’, that to be informed that that was not sufficient would have appeared to be almost blasphemy. They forgot the words of Samuel, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos and Micah that obedience counted for more than offerings, and to do YHWH’s will was more important than the fat of rams (e.g. 1 Samuel 15.22; Isaiah 1.11-18; Hosea 6.6; Amos 5.21-24; Micah 6.7-8). Like we so often are, they were limited in their spiritual vision. They had eyes but they saw not.
26.7 ‘And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of YHWH.’
It is emphasised that Jeremiah’s words were heard by ‘the priest and the prophets and all the people’. Such was his impact that even the priest and the cult prophets had come to listen to his words, spoken in the outer court of the Temple to the festival crowds. It is a reminder that the same thing happened to our Lord, Jesus Christ, Who was also called to account for what He proclaimed and did in the Temple.
26.8 ‘And it came about, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that YHWH had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, “You shall surely die.”
The whole of the populace who were present were at first aroused against him, ‘the priests, the prophets and all the people’, although excluding the civil authorities. It was a ‘popular’ movement. And when he had finished speaking he was by popular consent, and by the authority of the priests and prophets, arrested, it being declared that he was worthy of death. They were enflamed at the thought of what he had said, and no doubt considered his prophecy to be patently false, making him worthy of death (Deuteronomy 18.20).
26.9a “Why have you prophesied in the name of YHWH, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant?’
They demanded to know why he had dared to prophesy in the Name of YHWH that the Temple would be destroyed in the same way as Shiloh had been, and that the city would become a deserted city, a ghost town, a place where no one lived. It was the very opposite of what the priests and prophets were telling them They probably did not even think of what Micah had previously said (verse 18), as they may well not have known about it. The ‘princes and elders’ would prove to be better informed.
26.9b ‘And all the people were gathered to Jeremiah in the house of YHWH.’
Thus Jeremiah found himself surrounded by an enflamed people, encouraged on by the priests and the prophets, those who should have been most concerned for the truth of YHWH. What probably saved him from instant death was the sanctity of the Temple. They would not want to shed his blood in the Temple and thus defile it during the feast.
26.10 ‘And when the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of YHWH, and they sat in the entry of the new gate of YHWH’s house.’
Meanwhile news of the disturbance had reached ‘the princes of Judah’, the tribal leaders and the royal court gathered at the king’s palace, and they came down to the house of YHWH to quell the disturbance and try the case. They consequently sat in session in the entry of ‘the new gate of YHWH’s house’. We do not know which gate this was. Possibly it was the high gate built by Jotham (2 Chronicles 27.3). ‘The gate’ in each city was the place where the elders of the city would meet in order to hold trials. Jerusalem, of course, had a number of gates, but this was the one seemingly seen as the correct site in which to hold a trial
26.11 ‘Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”
It was the priests and prophets, who recognised that Jeremiah had spoken against them in what he had said, who put forward the case for the prosecution. (It was Jeremiah against those who professed to speak in YHWH’s name). They declared in open court that Jeremiah was worthy of death because he had prophesied the destruction of the city (including the Temple). Note the emphasis on the whole city (unlike in chapter 7). The safety of the city would be of more immediate concern to the secular authorities.
26.12 ‘Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and to all the people, saying, “YHWH sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words which you have heard.”
Jeremiah then provided his defence which was that it was YHWH Himself Who had sent him to prophesy against both the Temple and the city with the very words that they had heard. He as thus claiming that it was he who was YHWH’s messenger. Note the exclusion of the mention of the priest and the prophets. They were the main accusers, baying for his blood. There was little point in appealing to them. The very people who should have been supporting his words were the ones most bitterly opposed to him.
26.13 ‘Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of YHWH your God, and YHWH will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you.”
He then boldly called on them to amend their ways and their doings, their attitudes and their actions, and to start obeying the voice of YHWH. Then they could be assured that He would alter His purpose with regard to them and change His mind about the evil that He had pronounced against them. It will be noted that this change of mind by YHWH is not to be seen as describing an arbitrary ‘change of mind’, as though He had previously got it wrong, It was a change of mind based on the fact that they had first changed in their attitude towards Him and His covenant. It was an indication that God would respond to man’s change of heart.
26.14-15 “But as for me, see, I am in your hand. Do with me as is good and right in your eyes. Only know you for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants, for of a truth YHWH has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
He then declares that as far as he was concerned, they could do what they liked with him. He was not important. What mattered was the truth of YHWH. But let them only remember that they would be judged for the choice that they made, so that if they shed his innocent blood, they would bring that blood on themselves, the blood of YHWH’s messenger, both on themselves, and on their city and on its inhabitants. And this was because it was YHWH Who had sent him to speak these words to them.
26.16 ‘Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man is not worthy of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of YHWH our God.”
How quickly the mood of a crowd can change. Shortly before ‘all the people’ had been clamouring for his blood. Now they were siding with the judges in recognising his innocence. His defence had impressed the hearers, and so much so that they turned on his accusers and declared that Jeremiah was not worthy of death because he had spoken to them ‘in the Name of YHWH our God’. In their view he was a true prophet. And Israel/Judah had a history of accepting such prophets (although usually too late for their own good).
26.17 ‘Then certain of the elders of the land rose up, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,’
The ‘elders of the land’ were probably the leaders of the people from around the country, in contrast with those who dwelt in Jerusalem. We can compare the phrase, ‘the people of the land’ which often meant the landed gentry who were not so caught up in high level politics. And it was some of them, visitors to Jerusalem for the festival, who now spoke up on Jeremiah’s behalf. We have here the memory of an eye-witness who remembered who said what. There is also here an indication that, unlike in Jerusalem (5.1), among the wider people were those who still feared YHWH, at least to a certain extent.
26.18 “Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH of hosts, Zion will be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest’.”
Jeremiah’s sterling defence had brought to mind the words of previous prophets, and they consequently pointed back to the prophecy of Micah 3.12, an interesting indication that the writings of the early prophets were already available to them and were seen as carrying authority. They brought out that he too had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (and thus in the latter part of his ministry). Indeed he had declared that it would be so emptied that it came under the plough, with Jerusalem being turned into heaps of rubble and the Temple mount becoming overgrown. He had been no less emphatic than Jeremiah.
26.19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear YHWH, and entreat the favour of YHWH, and YHWH repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus would we commit great evil against our own souls.”
And what had the then king done with Micah? Had he and all Judah sought to put him to death? No, rather they had listened to what he had said and had ‘feared YHWH,’ responding to the covenant positively and reforming their lives. They had then called on YHWH’s mercy with the result that YHWH’s anger against them was stayed. He had changed His mind with regard to His judgment that he was bringing on them. (If only they had gone a stage further and had themselves truly repented, the history of Judah might have been different). The argument was important as indicating the decision of the house of David in regard to a similar situation. It suggested that the present king Jehoiakim, and his courtiers, should have the same attitude.
This may have in mind the special deliverance of Jerusalem mentioned in 2 Kings 18-19, or it may simply have in mind an earlier occasion in the early days of Hezekiah’s reign of which we are unaware. Or indeed both. It is a reminder that there were genuine ‘revivals’ of which we are not told elsewhere. But the main point was that a prophet of YHWH had been listened to by both king and people, even though he had warned of dire things, with no attempt being made to silence the prophet.
The Case Of Uriah, The Son Of Shemaiah, Another Faithful Prophet (26.20-24).
It is quite clear that this was not a part of the defence put forward by the elders, for it presents the opposite picture to that of Micah, and seeks a different verdict. In the case of Uriah, the king and his courtiers did not hear and repent, they remorselessly hunted him down. It may thus be that this was the counter-argument put forward by Jeremiah’s opponents, countering the argument of the elders. However, as Jeremiah’s trial appears to have occurred at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign it is probable that the incident with respect to Uriah had not yet happened. And so alternately we may see this simply as an example introduced by the writer paralleling Jeremiah’s own case and illustrating the danger that he was in, for that also happened during the reign of Jehoiakim. It may thus be seen as basically passing judgment on Jehoiakim who had behaved in a way which was so unlike Hezekiah. It illustrates therefore the very real danger that Jeremiah was in, but also the fact that Jeremiah was not ‘alone among the prophets’ in his ministry. There were other men of God who stood with him.
26.20 “And there was also a man who prophesied in the name of YHWH, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah,”
Uriah had, in the Name of YHWH, prophesied in precisely the same way as Jeremiah. he too had prophesied ‘against the city and against the land’. ‘According to all the words of Jeremiah’ may simply indicate similarity of message, or it may be an indication that he obtained much of his message from Jeremiah and his prophecies. Uriah is otherwise unknown but came from Kiriath-jearim which was a priestly city on the Benjamin-Judah border and had previously been a chief city of the Gibeonites in the days of Joshua. It is one of the comparatively few sites that have been definitely identified without doubt.
26.21 “And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty-men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death, but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went to Egypt,”
Uriah’s words had especially upset Judah’s fighting arm (if we take ‘mighty men’ as soldiers) or Judah’s rich aristocracy (if we take ‘mighty men’ as signifying men of great wealth). Both alternatives would have seen their positions as undermined by Uriah’s words. And the result was that they had sought to put him to death, at which Uriah had, in alarm, fled to Egypt (just as Jeremiah himself would at one stage go into hiding - 36.26).
26.22 “And Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him, to Egypt, and they fetched forth Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.”
But he had not been safe there, because Jehoiakim was a vassal of Egypt, and sent his men there to obtain Uriah’s extradition. And they brought Uriah to the king who had him executed and then buried ‘among the common people’ that is in the graveyard where the poor were buried (2 Kings 23.6) in unmarked graves. He was determined that Uriah would not be remembered. (It is of interest to note that Jehoiakim himself would subsequently suffer worse ignominy on his death - 22.18-19).
Elnathan may have been Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (2 Kings 24.8). He was one of the princes who had listened to Jeremiah’s scroll being read and had responded from his heart, seeking to dissuade Jehoiakim from burning it (36.12. ff).
26.24 ‘But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.’
In contrast Jeremiah was protected from the king’s wrath and the wrath of the people as a result of the activity of Ahikam the son of Shaphan. He was clearly someone in high authority who took Jeremiah’s side and arranged for his protection. God often has His representatives in high places. He was one of the five who, as a young man, went with his father to Huldah the prophetess on behalf of Josiah when the law book was found in the Temple (2 Kings 22.12). He was also the father of Gedaliah who would later become governor of Judah after Jerusalem was destroyed.
Wearing The Yoke Of Subjection And Dependence (27.1-22).
At YHWH’s command Jeremiah had to wear a yoke demonstrating bondage. Per the MT text this commenced at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign. This would tie in with the fact that that reign commenced in bondage to Egypt and continued in bondage to Babylon. The fact that the prophet of YHWH continually wore the yoke was an indication that the bondage was YHWH’s will. But it was when nations began to plot rebellion against Babylon that he was eventually told to send duplicates of his symbol of submission to many nations who were plotting rebellion against Babylon. All were to recognise that it was YHWH’s purpose that for the present they submit to Babylon’s yoke.
27.1 ‘In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,’
The opening heading refers to the commencement of the reign of Jehoiakim. Whilst it is common practise to suggest that the name of Jehoiakim here in verse 1 is a scribal error because the remainder of the chapter concerns the reign of Zedekiah, it is not necessarily so. The heading may be referring to verse 2 alone, with the initial word that came being that of Jeremiah having to wear on his neck as a permanent symbol the imitation bonds and yokes described, because it was at this time that Judah had come under permanent bondage, first to Egypt and then to Babylon. This would be a continual reminder to Judah of Jeremiah’s message that their bondage was due to sin, and could over the years have become a recognised feature of the prophet. The remainder of the chapter can then be seen as describing how this symbol later came to be used in a special way when, in the reign of Zedekiah, these instruments, or copies of them, were sent to the kings of various nations.
This literal interpretation might be seen as supported by the fact that chapter 26 introduces the reign of Jehoiakim, whilst chapter 28 deals with well on into the reign of Zedekiah. Thus chapter 27 could be seen as intended to be a bridge between the two, uniting the reign of Jehoiakim with that of Zedekiah by means of the yokes made by Jeremiah, giving the account a splendid unity. It prevents disjointedness in the account.
Although not apparent from the English text this is the first mention of Jeremiah in the form recognised by English texts. Previously it has been Jeremyahu. In chapters 27.1-29.1 it is the shorter form Jeremyah, before reverting back in chapter 29.27 to Jeremyahu. As this change does not occur just in headings the reason for it is not immediately apparent. It may perhaps indicate that 27.1-29.23 once existed as a separate unit concerning the yoke of the King of Babylon.
Jeremiah Was To Make Simulated Yokes And Bonds And Wear Them On His Neck (27.2).
The plural of yokes possibly indicates the top and bottom bars of the yoke which would be bound together round the neck by the ropes (bonds). But if what follows is taken literally (the sending of yokes to five kings and the retention of the one worn by Jeremiah) a number of yokes and bonds would be required. They need not have been the size required for yoking animals. The very sight of even a small yoke would be sufficient to indicate bondage.
27.2 “Thus says YHWH to me, Make for yourself bonds and bars, and put them on your neck,”
YHWH’s call to Jeremiah was initially that he make and wear bonds and yokes which were to fit on his neck. That he carried it out literally is clear from 28.10. The plural nouns, and what later happens, suggest that he made a number of sets. His wearing of them (not necessarily continually, but certainly on special occasions such as the great feasts) was probably intended to be a continual indication to Judah that it was now under permanent bondage, first to Egypt and then to Babylon because of its rebellion against YHWH. (YHWH had already indicated that the death of Josiah would end any guarantee of peace for Judah - 2 Kings 22.20; 23.26-27). It would be typical of Jeremiah to feel that while his people suffered bondage, he should do the same.
It will be noted that here the command was to wear them, whereas in verse 3 he was to send them to various kings. There is thus an interval between the two acts, and there is no reason why it should not have been a period of twelve years or more. Such rapid jumps in the narrative are often made in Scripture causing problems to modern man who likes to enter into historical detail. But Kings continually presents history in this way with huge but unidentified gaps between events during the lives of the kings. Compare also how Isaiah walked ‘naked and barefoot’ for three years, possibly wearing only a loincloth, in order to convey a similar message (Isaiah 20.2-3), and how Ezekiel lay on his side for well over a year (Ezekiel 4.4-5).
We are not called on to wear yokes as a symbol of our submission to God, but we are called on to ‘wear His yoke’ (Matthew 11.28-30) and to walk humbly before God, revealing that we are true followers of the One Who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10.45).
Jeremiah Was Later Commanded To Send Parallel Yokes To The Plotters Of Rebellion Whose Ambassadors Were Congregated In Jerusalem (27.3-11).
The sending of the yokes to related nations, which would be copies of the one worn by Jeremiah, was to be accompanied by a stern warning from ‘YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel’ that they remain in submission to Babylon.
27.3 “And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah,”
The sending of the bonds and yokes to the various kings of the nations clearly follows after an interval, during which time Jeremiah has been wearing his. This indicates either that he had made a number of sets which he would wear in turn or that he had duplicates made for the purpose. They were to be sent to the Transjordanian nations of Edom, Moab and Ammon, and to Tyre and Sidon, because it was from them that messengers had come to King Zedekiah, seemingly to discuss rebellion from the yoke of Babylon. It was YHWH’s warning that they should not proceed with their aim because it was YHWH’s will that they be so subjected.
27.4 “And give them a charge to their masters, saying, Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall you say to your masters,”
Along with the bonds and yokes Jeremiah sent a charge to the various kings from YHWH. It was headed with the full title of ‘YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel’, which always indicated an important saying and was a reminder that He was Lord of all hosts, whether the angelic hosts in Heaven or the human hosts on earth, the ‘hosts of Heaven’ which represented the stars in their courses, and indeed of all creation (Genesis 2.1).
27.5 “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me.”
YHWH first indicates His credentials as the Creator of all things, and indicates the authority that it gives Him to order things as He will. He makes clear that all living things are under His control, whether they be men or beast, because He created them all by His great power and ‘His outstretched arm’. The latter is simply a metaphor demonstrating His capability in doing things which require strength. He does not literally do things by means of a huge arm. Compare Deuteronomy 4.34; 5.15;7.19; 26.8. Thus the situation in which they find themselves is because it ‘seems right to Him’. Rebellion would therefore be to act against God’s purpose. Notice how creation is summed up in terms of ‘men and beasts’ as the two primary life forms.
27.6-7 “And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him. And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land come, and then many nations and great kings will make him their bondman.”
He then particularises what He is saying to the particular case in hand. With regard to the lands which are ruled over by these kings He has chosen by His sovereign power to give them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (no longer Nebuchadrezzar) who is His servant, and He has given him all animals both wild and domestic in order that they might serve him. Furthermore it was His purpose that all nations should serve both ‘Nebuchadnezzar, and his son, and his son’s son’, that is his regular heirs, into the future until the appointed time. And this will go on until arrival of the time limit that YHWH has set, when Nebuchadnezzar’s own land will arrive at ‘its time’ and will in turn serve others. For then many nations and great kings will eventually arise who will in turn bring Babylonia into bondage.
The reference to animals wild and domestic, included along with the lands, indicating all created things within the area, but may well also have in mind the requirements laid on subject peoples that they provide him regularly with horses and cattle and submit to the Babylonians using their lands for hunting, a favourite sport of great kings which was not necessarily good for the land. The reference to ‘his son and his son’s son’ is not putting a limit on how many kings there will be, nor is it in fact saying that they will be directly related. A king’s heir would always be seen as his ‘son’ (we can compare how the Assyrians called all Israelite kings ‘sons of Omri’ long after there was no such relationship. Thus Jehu was described as ‘the son of Omri’ on Assyrian inscriptions). Basically therefore it indicated all his heirs, whether literal sons or otherwise, until the time appointed (compare Exodus 34.7; Deuteronomy 4.25). Nebuchadnezzar was in fact succeeded by his son Evil-merodach (Amel-marduk) (52.31), and he by Nebuchadnezzar’s son-in-law Neriglissar (Nergal-shar-usur who married Nebuchanezzars’s daughter), followed briefly by his son Labashi-marduk. Labashi-marduk did not last long and was assassinated in childhood and replaced by Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar (although Belshazzar died before Nabonidus) who would be subjugated by Cyrus the Persian, with his allies.
‘Nebuchadnezzar.’ The change from Nebuchadrezzar (Nabu-kudurri-usur) to Nebuchadnezzar probably has no special significance. Baruch had input into both sections so that it is not necessarily an indication of change of authorship. The change from ‘r’ to ‘n’ is quite common when transliterating from Akkadian into Hebrew. It may simply indicate Jeremiah’s own development to a more sophisticated style.
27. 8 “And it will come about, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, says YHWH, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.”
Moreover any nation who refused to submit to Babylon and serve Nebuchadnezzar would be punished by YHWH Himself for disobeying His will. Note the reference to the yoke based on the illustration that he had sent through the ambassadors. Their punishment would come about through sword, famine and pestilence (the regular Jeremaic means, compare 14.12; etc), until Nebuchadnezzar had totally consumed them. The three judgments were the constant price of war. War not only slaughtered people, but it burned and desolated fields, and caused conditions which encourage pestilence, especially when people had to ‘flee to the mountains’. But the three judgments could also arise separately. See Jeremiah 14.1; 2 Samuel 21; 24.15; 1 Kings 17-18; etc.
27.9-10 “But as for you, do not you listen to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish.”
Nor were they to listen to anyone who said otherwise (which they all did and had cause to rue it). The descriptions covered all means by which nations sought to obtain guidance from their gods, including prophets with their drug-induced prophecies, diviners with their differing divining methods (including casting lots, reading the dregs left in vessels, looking at the entrails of sacrificial animals, etc.), dreamers with their drug-induced dreams, soothsayers and sorcerers with all their different approaches including calling on familiar spirits, enchantments, secret arts, and the muttering of spells. Compare Isaiah 8.19; 47.12-13; 2 Kings 9.22. There would be a natural tendency to ‘divine’ against subjection to Babylon as that was undoubtedly the favoured option once the time seemed ripe, but the people were not to listen to such ideas because they were all lies.
27.11 “But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that nation will I let remain in their own land, the word of YHWH, and they will till it, and dwell in it.”
Indeed the only way in which they could hope to remain in their lands was by bringing their necks under the yoke of the King of Babylon and serving him as Jeremiah had illustrated. Those who did so would be allowed to remain in their own lands, and till them and dwell in them, because they would thereby be being obedient YHWH. And this was the assured prophetic word of YHWH. (Thus being in submission to men can often go hand in hand with obedience to the will of God).
Zedekiah Himself Is Also Warned Of The Necessity For Continued Submission To The King Of Babylon (27.12-22).
Zedekiah is also warned by Jeremiah of the consequences of not continuing to submit to the King of Babylon. He was to ignore the promises of the prophets who promised a quick deliverance and return of the previously stolen Temple vessels, for they were untrue. In fact the truth was that disobedience to YHWH’s warning would simply result in the remainder of the Temple furniture being transported to Babylon.
27.12 ‘And I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.”
Jeremiah tells how he had spoken to Zedekiah in accordance with the same words that he had sent to the nations. Following his own example they were to bring their necks under the yoke of the King of Babylon and serve his people. By that means they would be serving YHWH, and by that means they would survive.
27.13 “Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as YHWH has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?”
But if they did not continue in submission, both the king and all his people would die, by sword, famine and pestilence, in accordance to the words sent to the nations. And that because their action would actually be rebellion against the will of YHWH. Was that really what they wanted to happen?
27.14 “And do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you.”
Thus they were not to listen to the words of the prophets who were so assiduously lying to them and declaring that they could safely ‘not serve the King of Babylon’. They were to recognise that their words were a lie.
27.15 “For I have not sent them, the word of YHWH, but they prophesy falsely in my name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
For on the assured word of YHWH they could be certain that YHWH had not sent these prophets. Rather they were prophesying falsely in His Name. But it did have a purpose, and that was in order that He might drive them out in accordance with His purpose, so that both they and the prophets might perish. The lying prophets would thus in their own way be bringing about YHWH’s will (compare 1 Kings 22.19-23). It is a reminder of YHWH’s control over history both good and bad (compare the opening of the seven-sealed book in Revelation 6 which conveyed the same message). While the offer of repentance was always open it was quite clear that they had no intention of responding, and therefore their doom was sealed.
27.16 ‘Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says YHWH. Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of YHWH’s house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you.”
He also spoke to the priests and all the people who were there warning them not to listen to the prophecies of the prophets who promised that the vessels of YHWH’s house, which had previously been taken away in the days of Jehoiakim/Jehoiachin, would shortly be returned from Babylon, for it was all a lie. (They would eventually be returned, but that was a long way ahead. It was not to happen within the near future). The promises being made by the false prophets clearly included a promise of the removal of the Babylonian yoke, which would be why the vessels were returned. It is noticeable that no one ventured to suggest who would be responsible for the return of the vessels.
27.17 “Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation?”
Jeremiah therefore tells them not to listen to the prophets, but to faithfully serve the King of Babylon, and thus be allowed to live. Why should they act foolishly by doing something which could only result in the desolation of their city?
27.18 “But if they are prophets, and if the word of YHWH is with them, let them now make intercession to YHWH of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of YHWH, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.”
Rather, if the prophets were true prophets so that the word of YHWH was in them (the word which was spoken as in verse 21), let them make intercession that the vessels which still remained in the Temple and in the king’s house, remain there and not be carried off to Babylon. This was a prayer that would be heard if they set aside any idea of rebellion. And it was the wise step to take.
27.19-20 “For thus says YHWH of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels which are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem,”
For YHWH was not prophesying the return of vessels from Babylon. Rather He was prophesying concerning all that still remained in Judah, the ‘sea’, the bases, and the residue of the sacred vessels which had not been taken when Jehoiachin and so many of the leading citizens, including its nobles throughout Judah had been taken away by Nebuchadnezzar.
27.21-22 “Yes, thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels which are left in the house of YHWH, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, they will be carried to Babylon, and there will they be, until the day that I visit them, the word of YHWH, then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.”
And the word of YHWH concerning all the vessels which still remained in the house of YHWH and in the king’s palace, was that they also would be carried off to Babylon and would remain there until His allotted day of deliverance. And this was the guaranteed word of YHWH. It was only when that day of deliverance came that He would again bring all those vessels back up to Jerusalem, and restore them to their rightful place.
Hananiah, A Cult Prophet, Declares That There Will Be Full Liberation Within Two Years, And Breaks Jeremiah’s Yoke From Round His Neck. Jeremiah Replies That His Own Word From YHWH Will Come True And That Hananiah Will Die Within The Year As A False Prophet (28.1-17).
We have already learned of the antagonism of the cult prophets in Jerusalem towards Jeremiah and one named Hananiah now challenges him head on. Using similar prophetic phraseology to Jeremiah he declares that within two years there will be full restoration for Judah and Jerusalem, with the Temple vessels, along with Jehoiachin and his courtiers, returning in triumph to Jerusalem. His antagonistic attitude is emphasised by the fact that he breaks the yoke off Jeremiah’s shoulder, considering by that means that he would break the power of Jeremiah’s prophecies. It was a direct challenge to Jeremiah’s claims and would be seen by him, and by many, as a prophetic working out of the coming deliverance and as a direct confrontation with Jeremiah’s source of truth. His very action would have been seen by many of the superstitious as contributing to the fulfilment of his prophecy. He claimed to be doing it in the Name of YHWH, but did not realise (because he was deceived) that he was in fact thereby directly opposing YHWH.
His visible action would have had a huge impact on the crowds, who would see it as a real step towards deliverance, countering what Jeremiah had been prophesying, and portraying by wearing the yoke. Jeremiah initially replies to him placatingly. He hopes that he is right. But he points out that it would be to go against previous prophecies of doom and destruction, and suggests that they let the future reveal the truth.
However, he is then required by YHWH to inform the people more forcefully that Hananiah is wrong, and that what Jeremiah has previously prophesied will come about. Furthermore all should note that, as a consequence of Hananiah’s action, instead of yokes of wood there would now be yokes of iron. They had made submission even more certain. Then, as a sign that what he has stated will take place, and that Hananiah is a false prophet, he informs them that Hananiah will die within the year because he is a false prophet, an event which accordingly takes place, thus vindicating Jeremiah and countering the impact caused by the breaking of the yoke.
28.1 ‘And it came about the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of YHWH, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,’
As we have previously seen these heading are a deliberate means of carrying the action forward from the commencement of Jehoiakim’s reign, when Jeremiah gave his address warning of what would come on the city and the Temple, through his wearing of a yoke as an indication of Judah’s servitude by the will of YHWH, which also commenced in the days of Jehoiakim, to the time when duplicates of that yoke were sent out to the surrounding nations who were contemplating rebellion against Babylon in the days of Zedekiah. Now things come to a head. A rival prophet of YHWH challenges him and his prophecies openly in the Temple in the presence of the priests and the festal crowds. The prophet was named Hananiah, who was the son of Azzur (otherwise unknown) and came from Gibeon. As will emerge, this was intended to be a head on challenge and collision between the two prophets, carried out with the people as witnesses, with the intention of settling mattes once and for all. The breaking of the yoke which was a prophetic symbol of Jeremiah’s message was intended to be a decisive step.
It is clear that ‘in the beginning’ included the fourth year of his reign. Rather than arguing about contradiction we should recognise that Jeremiah knew the nuances of Hebrew in his day better than we do. ‘In the beginning’ apparently therefore simply meant ‘in the initial stages, the commencing years, of his reign’.
28.2 “Thus speaks YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon’.”
Hananiah declares that he speaks in the Name of YHWH of host, the God of Israel, and that His word is that He has ‘broken the yoke of the King of Babylon’. Note the use of the same distinguished and significant title as that used by Jeremiah, and no doubt by many prophets. He was claiming to speak on the same authority as Jeremiah. And he gave a prophetic declaration claiming to present the very words of YHWH. ‘Thus says YHWH --- “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon”.’ It was a declaration directly in the face of what Jeremiah was saying signifying that God’s time was now. We can see why the crowds might have been confused. And there could be no doubt whose message they would want to believe. Hananiah’s message appealed to their sense of what YHWH owed to them as their God. They were still unable to believe that God was not satisfied with them.
28.3 “Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of YHWH’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried to Babylon,”
He further declared that YHWH’s promise was that within two full years (in contrast with Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years of which fifty or so years remained) all the vessels of the house of YHWH which had been taken away by Nebuchadnezzar in the days of Jehoiakim, would be returned to Jerusalem and the Temple (this place). It would be restored to its former glory.
‘Within two full years.’ Literally ‘within two years of days.’
28.4 “And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon, the word of YHWH, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
And what was more their legitimate king, Jehoiachin (Jeconiah), who had been chosen by the people (Zedekiah had been appointed by Nebuchadnezzar and ruled by default) would again be brought to this place, along with the other exiles, and would once again be their king present among them, and most importantly, the yoke of the King of Babylon would be broken (a direct reference to the yoke that Jeremiah was wearing). It was a cheering message for the people, and he emphasised n good prophetic manner that it was by ‘the prophetic and sure word of YHWH’. His message must have uplifted the crowds and raised their hopes, making things difficult for Jeremiah, and seemingly exposing him as a false prophet. It was an encouragement to the king and the people to partake in what would be a fatal rebellion.
But it was probably not just a saying taken out of the air. We know from what is called ‘the Babylonian chronicle’ (historical records which were regularly maintained by the Babylonians although unfortunately we do not have all of them), that around this time there was a serious rebellion in Babylon which Nebuchadnezzar had to quell, and it may well be that hopes raised by that event, as communicated back to Jerusalem, combined with the rise of a powerful Pharaoh in Egypt (Pharaoh Hophra), were responsible for Hananiah’s confident prediction (the rebels in Babylon may well have promised some of the exiles that in return for their support they would be allowed to return home with the Temple vessels. See 29.21 which could have been connected with such a situation). Hananiah does genuinely appear to have believed that he was a prophet of YHWH, and the priests clearly believed it too. But it is a reminder that it is not enough to have confidence in one’s own spirituality, based on popular opinion. We can so easily deceive ourselves, whilst others will admire us if we say what they want us to say. It is a reminder to us that we need to beware of overstating our own inspiration by the Holy Spirit. The widespread disagreement on certain doctrines among genuine Christians is an indication that none of us are guided fully. And we are foolish to think otherwise. I am always a little wary when someone says, ‘the Holy Spirit told (showed) me’. Full inspiration was limited to the Apostles. We are vulnerable to error.
28.5-6 ‘Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of YHWH, even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen. YHWH do so. YHWH perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of YHWH’s house, and all those of the captivity, from Babylon to this place.”
Very wisely Jeremiah did not enflame the people gathered in the Temple (and thus full at the time of religious zeal of a kind) by directly denying Hananiah’s prophecy. Rather he responded sarcastically. What Hananiah prophesied was very good, but it was to be noted that it went against the trend of past prophecy. So, yes, if YHWH wanted to do this, so be it (amen). Let YHWH perform the words that Hananiah had prophesied, bringing back from Babylon to Jerusalem the vessels of the Temple and the people from exile. Nothing would please Jeremiah more. But it went against all that the ancient prophets had spoken.
Alternately Jeremiah may have been wondering whether YHWH had indeed given a new revelation to Hananiah without communicating it to him. It would explain why, in spite of his doubts, he was willing to go along with it until he had further information from YHWH.
28.7 “Nevertheless hear you now this word which I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people,”
Then he hardened his position. Let his words now come into the ears of Hananiah, and into the ears of all the people, for they were of vital importance.
28.8 “The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.”
And that word was that the ancient and revered prophets who had prophesied before either of them were born, and whose words had been preserved because of their accuracy, had prophesied of war, evil and pestilence which would strike at many countries and even at great kingdoms. That was the trend of past prophecy.
28.9 “The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come about, then shall the prophet be known, that YHWH has truly sent him.”
Thus it was the prophet who prophesied peace and well-being whose prophecies were to be seen as in doubt. Indeed they were to be seen as in such doubt that it was only when they came into fulfilment that they could be looked on as prophecies coming directly from YHWH. When the word actually came about, that was when the people could know that it was YHWH who had sent such a prophet.
It will be noted how cleverly Jeremiah had dealt with the situation He did it by sowing doubts in the minds of the people rather than by a direct refutation which could have raised their anger. He left them to ponder on the facts, demonstrating thereby that he was not alone in his views whatever current prophets might be saying, which incidentally demonstrates the high regard in which those past prophets were held by many even at this time (as we have already seen in 26.18).
28.10 ‘Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it..
Jeremiah’s words clearly got under Hananiah’s skin, for he advanced on Jeremiah, determined to prove his credentials. He seized the yoke that was around Jeremiah’s neck, the symbol of his message, and deliberately broke it. We must not underestimate the significance of this act carried out in full view of the gathered people. It was a fierce and emphatic indication that Jeremiah was a false prophet, and that the prophetic sign that he wore around his neck was not to be seen as having any effect, but as a fraud. For certainly there would be some among the people who took it very seriously, indeed as a guarantee that YHWH would maintain the subjection of His people. Hananiah was almost certainly aware of the impact that it was having among the people. Once it was broken, and there was no reaction from YHWH, some would breathe a sigh of relief. They would see it as indicating that YHWH had changed His mind. That was why once it had been done, it could not be overlooked. There had to be a strong response. (They would otherwise have argued that no one other than a prophet who had a counter-message from YHWH would have dared to tamper with such a sacred symbol, and that the fact that he had got away unscathed proved him to be in the right).
28.11a ‘And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says YHWH, Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon within two full years from off the neck of all the nations.”
Many in the crowd were probably apprehensive at what might be YHWH’s response to Hananiah’s action, perhaps he was a little apprehensive himself, but when nothing did happen he then declared triumphantly to the people that YHWH had said that in the same way He would break the yoke of Babylon from the neck of all the nations. He appeared to have gained a significant triumph. But his folly was shortly to be revealed. (We can tend to forget that God has plenty of time. He does not always react to things immediately).
28.11b ‘And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.’
Jeremiah was probably shaken by the incident and went quietly away with nothing further to say at the time. He knew that it was time to consult with YHWH. Perhaps he too wondered why YHWH had not revealed His anger at Hananiah’s action. Or possibly he felt that the excitement of the crowds was such that it would have been foolish at the time to say anything more. But he was soon to learn that far from not being concerned about what was happening YHWH was about to Hananiah’s act very firmly.
28.12 ‘Then the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,’
YHWH’s reply is specifically said to be connected with Hananiah’s action in breaking off the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah. Such were the ideas of the people that it was not something that could pass unnoticed or be ignored. It would have been looked on as highly significant.
28.13-14 “Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH, You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place bars of iron’. For thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him, and I have given him the beasts of the field as well’.”
YHWH points out through Jeremiah that by breaking the wooden yoke Hananiah has accomplished nothing. He has only added to the woes of the nations, for it has meant that YHWH has replaced His wooden yoke with a yoke of iron on all the nations involved. It meant that Nebuchadnezzar’s position was even more secure. And while Hananiah might break a wooden yoke, he would be totally unable to break a yoke of iron. His action had thus caused the people nothing but harm. The reference to the ‘beasts of the field’ in addition to men reminds us of 27.6 and demonstrates Nebuchadnezzar’s total control of the area and of all forms of life (compare also Jonah 4.11 which demonstrates how closely man and beast were seen as involved with each other).
28.15 ‘Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah. YHWH has not sent you, but you make this people to trust in a lie.” “Therefore thus says YHWH, Behold, I will send you away from off the face of the earth. This year you will die, because you have spoken rebellion against YHWH.”
And because YHWH had not sent him, and because he had made the people trust in a lie, he was convicted of being a false prophet, and the punishment for that was death (Deuteronomy 18 22). It was therefore YHWH’s intention that he be removed from the face of the earth, and that he die within the year, because he had spoken rebellion against YHWH. Because YHWH had not ‘sent’ him He would now ‘send’ him away altogether.
28.17 ‘So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.’
And sure enough he did die within the year, in the seventh month. His death was necessary in order to counter the impression that he had made on the people by breaking Jeremiah’s symbolic yoke. It was a further warning of the fact that what Jeremiah had prophesied was the truth, and confirmed that Hananiah’s action in breaking the wooden yoke was false and had accomplished nothing. It was also a warning of the danger of falsely speaking in YHWH’s Name. While the good prophets had to fear men’s opposition (26.20-23), the false prophets needed to fear God’s. A similar example will also end chapter 29.
It is in fact understandable that Judah wanted to be free, and why they felt so deeply about it, but there was an important lesson underlying what was happening to Judah if only they had realised it, one that had already been emphasised when Israel had gone to Egypt in the days of Joseph. And that was that it was not independence and possession of the land that was most important to God, but obedience to Him. That was why YHWH was taking them into Exile. He was removing them from the places that had gripped their minds with idolatry and was emphasising to them that environment and freedom were only of secondary importance (many Christian slaves would later have a poor environment and little freedom). The only hindrance to the worship of YHWH was an unbelieving heart.
Jeremiah’s Letter To The Exiles (29.1-32).
Correspondence by letter was a constant feature of those days, and indicates that the world was not static (compare the prophetic letters from Shemaiah to the religious authorities in Jerusalem - verse 25; David to Joab - 2 Samuel 11.14; Elijah to Jehoram - 2 Chronicles 21.12-15; Sennacherib to Hezekiah - 2 Kings 19.9-14; etc). There were always people who were on the move, such as traders and ambassadors, who could carry such messages along the trading routes, or between country and country, and kings themselves would have special messengers.. We are not, of course, to think of an established postal service, although we need not doubt that great kings would undoubtedly arrange for relays of messengers who could be relied on to take their words to their underlings. But in this case Jeremiah took the opportunity of King Zedekiah sending messengers in order to communicate with Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, to enable him to communicat with God’s exiled people.
It is clear from the letter that Jeremiah had received information that false prophets were at work in Babylonia among the exiles who had been exiled along with Jehoiachin (c. 597 BC, as opposed to those exiled earlier with Daniel in c. 605 BC), proclaiming a similar message to that of Hananiah, and thus unsettling them, and further, that one of these prophets had actually written to Jerusalem calling for Jeremiah to be ‘rebuked’ (dealt with severely). Thus Jeremiah urged the exiles not to listen to them, but to recognise that they were to settle in for a good long stay, for at least another fifty years or so. Furthermore he warned them that the false prophets in question who were stirring up trouble would themselves be summarily dealt with, either by Nebuchadnezzar or by circumstances.
The letter can be divided up into five sections:
Introductory words.
29.1-2 ‘Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem),’
The introduction informs us that this chapter contains words which Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon. ‘The residue (or remnant) of the elders’ may indicate that many had been executed, possibly because their especially rebellious attitude was known to Nebuchadnezzar with the result that he had determined to get rid of the hardliners. Nebuchadnezzar had no doubt had his spies in Jerusalem and the elders would certainly have borne the brunt of the blame for Jehoiakim’s rebellion. Nebuchadnezzar was not noted for his clemency (see 2 Kings 25.18-20). Alternately ‘residue’ may be intended to be read in throughout (although not made clear in the text) simply indicating those who had survived the siege and its aftermath. The priests and prophets would include among them Ezekiel.
The exile in mind is that under Jehoiachin when Jerusalem had had to submit to Nebuchadnezzar (c.597 BC). Along with Jehoiachin had gone the queen mother (a figure of great authority in Judah), the high officials (the word, used of the married Potiphar in Genesis, doe not necessarily strictly mean eunuch), the ‘princes’ of the tribes (the order of precedence would seem to indicate that it was not blood princes who were in mind), along with all the skilled craftsmen and smiths, and so on. They represented the cream of the nation (the good figs, not because they were better than the essentially others, but because of what God was going to make of them - 24.5).
29.3 ‘By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying,’
His letter was sent by the hand of messengers who were going in Zedekiah’s name to Nebuchadnezzar, no doubt with other more official correspondence. It is very probable that part of the aim was to renew Zedekiah’s submission and assure Nebuchadnezzar of his loyalty, no doubt also delivering tribute. These would be prominent men, and may even have been the sons of Shaphan the Scribe (2 Kings 22.8), and Hilkiah the High Priest (2 Kings 22.4), although this is not certain. Elasah may have been brother to Ahikam who had aided Jeremiah (26.24). This probably took place not long after the exile had begun in c.597 BC, at a time when Zedekiah had no thought of rebellion, and thus earlier than the previous chapter.
The Call For The Exiles To Settle Down In Babylon And Pay No Heed To The False Prophets (29.4-9).
29.4 “Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,’
The letter is written as from YHWH, giving His full title as found elsewhere. Notice the deliberate implication that the exile is YHWH’s doing. The indication is that they must not rebel against what He has brought about. It would appear from what follows that many had high hopes of a quick return to Judah. This was partly because among them were some prophets who were proclaiming such a return, possibly connected with stirrings of trouble in Babylonia, and partly resulting from man’s eternal optimism, especially as concerning their conviction that YHWH must, at some stage, step in as their God, just as He had delivered them from Egypt so long ago. How could He allow His house to continue to be denuded because of the vessels stolen by Nebuchadnezzar, they would have asked, and how could he allow the true ‘son of David’ not to be on the throne in Jerusalem? The thought would therefore be that ‘God had to act’.
29.5 “Build you houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit from them.”
But Jeremiah assures them that there would be no quick return. Thus they are to make the best of the situation, building permanent houses, living in them with a sense of permanency, planting gardens and eating the resultant fruit (which in some cases would not be available for four years). There is an indication here that, having suffered the undoubted hardship of the journey to Babylon, conditions there were not too bad for them. Indeed they were good enough for many not to want to return home when the opportunity arose (Ezra 8.15). They appear to have been free to do whatever they desired, apart from return to Judah. Compare the similar picture presented in Ezekiel of an established and relatively free community (Daniel was presumably still governing Babylonia - 2.48-49).
29.6 “Take you wives, and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply yourselves there, and do not be diminished.”
They were to make their home in Babylonia with the longer term future in mind, marrying, having children who would also marry, and ensuring that rather than their numbers diminishing they multiplied. (He might have added, just as they had in Egypt so long ago. There is a genuine parallel between the two situations which would not go unnoticed).
29.7 “And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to YHWH for it, for in its peace you will have peace.”
And they were also to pray to YHWH for the peace and well-being of Babylon, so that thereby they too would enjoy peace. This remarkable command, unparalleled elsewhere in the Old Testament, demonstrated quite clearly that His favour and blessing were not to be seen as tied to ‘the promised land’. The hunger for them to return would not be His, but theirs. He was content for them to worship Him in Babylonia and to pray for peace and wellbeing for Babylon.
It was also a reminder that their presence there was His doing and His will. It was He, not Nebuchadnezzar, Who had ‘caused you to be carried away captive’. They should therefore not rebel against His will, but rather pray along with it. He wanted them ‘in whatever state they were, to be content’. They would remain there until they had learned their lesson, and until their idolatrous attitudes had been purged from them. (Many would continue in idolatry. For them there would be no return).
29.8 “For thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, Do not let your prophets who are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you, nor listen you to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.”
In consequence of this, on the word of YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, they were not to pay any heed to any prophets, diviners/fortune-tellers, or dreamers who stated anything else. ‘Dreams which you cause to be dreamed’ indicates that they expected their prophets to ‘dream’ on their behalf, and encouraged them to do so, listening eagerly to the results of what were probably drug-induced dreams.
29.9 “For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them, the word of YHWH.”
And YHWH gave them His solemn guarantee (neum YHWH) that such prophets were prophesying falsely in His Name and that He had not sent them.
YHWH Promises That Once Seventy Years Have Passed His People Will Have The Opportunity To Return To Their Own Land (29.10-14).
29.10 “For thus says YHWH, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this place.”
For the true situation was that Babylon had been granted seventy years of rule by YHWH, and that time had to be accomplished (25.11-12). However, once that seventy years was accomplished, and only then, He would visit them again, and fulfil His promise to them that they would return to ‘this place’ (Jerusalem, Judah). He would perform ‘His good word’ (the word that promised what they sought, the word of hope) towards them.
We should note that ‘seventy years’ was not only to be seen as a time note, but also as an indication that it would happen within YHWH’s ‘divinely perfect time’ (seven intensified). Everything would happen within God’s chosen timing. It would not come to an end on the basis of the calendar, but on the basis of God’s purposes. It was not a prognosticator’s forecast, but YHWH’s determination.
In the event we may see it as beginning in c. 605 BC, when Egypt were decisively beaten by Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar gained control of Palestine (or 609 BC when the Assyrian yoke was broken and Babylon finally ruled an empire) and ending in 539 BC when Cyrus conquered Babylon, or a year or two later when the exiles actually began to return. As the period covered both the period of Babylonian supremacy (609 BC to 539 BC) and the period of exile (605 BC for the first exiles, to a year or two after 539 BC) it has to be seen as flexible.
29.11 “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, the word of YHWH, thoughts of wellbeing, and not of evil, to give you hope and a latter end (a future).”
But the important implication was of what it revealed about YHWH’s purpose towards them. His thoughts towards them (and this was on the sure word of YHWH) were thoughts of wellbeing (shalom - peace, wellbeing) and not of evil. His aim was to give them ‘hope and a latter end’, that is, once they had passed through the sufficient period of their captivity, and had truly repented.
29.12 “And you will call on me, and you will go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
And then they would ‘call on Him, and go, and pray to Him’ (the common threefold pattern) and He would listen to them’. Note that there could be no return without repentance and a seeking of His face as a repentant people, which were essential elements in their return.
(How different was the return of Jews to Israel in 20th century AD. Then it was in the arrogance of nationhood, not in repentance and seeking after God. It was of a nation still in unbelief. It was man-determined, not God-determined. It was the very opposite of what is in mind here).
29.13 “And you will seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.”
For one purpose of their exile was so that they might learn to ‘seek Him, and find Him, and search for Him with all their hearts’. All idolatry would be thrust away. All rivals to His complete pre-eminence would be cast aside. All hindrances to His supremacy would be dealt with. He would be all in all to them. These were all pre-conditions to their return.
29.14 “And I will be found of you, the word of YHWH, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, the word of YHWH, and I will bring you again to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.”
Then He would be found of them (the guaranteed word of YHWH) and He would restore their captivity, and would gather them from all nations, and from all the place where He had driven them, (the guaranteed word of YHWH), and He would bring them again to the place from which He had caused them to be carried away captive. (Compare Deuteronomy 30.2-3)
So the order is clear. First exile, then repentance, then a seeking of Him with all their hearts, then a return in belief and obedience, and this not only for those in Babylon but for those around the world. And this was undoubtedly what happened during the inter-testamental years, for by the time of Jesus people of all tribes (and of none) had returned to Palestine and settled once again in the land, both north and south, Galilee and Judea. We know only a little of the history of that return, mainly as portrayed in Ezra-Nehemiah, and the later prophets, but that was only a small part of the future, the initial movement. It was like the seed growing secretly. Through the years those of His people who had been purged and who believed came from all parts and were once again planted in the land. Judah/Israel was restored, and at one time even became an independent nation.
They Are Therefore Not To Listen To The False Prophets As, Rather Than Experiencing Quick Restoration, Zedekiah And Jerusalem Are Doomed Because They Have Not Listened To YHWH’s Words (verses 15-19).
29.15 “Because you have said, ‘YHWH has raised us up prophets in Babylon,”
Men must always have some hope to cling on to, and there are always those who will seek to profit by it. So in this case prophets had arisen among the exiles in Babylon, and this had enthused the people. It had made them feel that YHWH had perhaps not after all deserted them. Some were good prophets like Ezekiel, and it was they who rebuilt the broken nation. But others were chancers who were more politically minded and seized the opportunity to proclaim ‘instant deliverance’, a message which would have been eagerly seized on. They promised a quick return of the exiles to their brothers and sisters in Judah. This no doubt partly arose because there was an awareness of rumblings in Babylon which would always arise among peoples constrained there against their will. What they overlooked was that such rumblings rarely actually came to anything.
29.16 “Thus says YHWH concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who have not gone forth with you into captivity,”
But they did seem to have significance to those who believed that their own king ‘sat on the throne of David’, the David who had ruled such a great empire The words used here would suggest that the false prophets were laying a great emphasis on ‘the king who sat on David’s throne’. It must be remembered that even after their experiences with Babylonian troops their knowledge of the power and size of the Babylonian empire was limited. There were no countrywide, or even local, newspapers, no roving reporters, no radio, no television. They only knew what they themselves had seen, and what was learned from passing travellers. And one set of troops seemed very like another. Thus their hopes lay in the king appointed by YHWH, ‘His firstborn, ruler of the kings of the earth’ (Psalm 89.27) who would one day ‘chastise the nations with a rod of iron’ (Psalm 2.9). They had sung about it in the Temple. Now was the time to believe in it.
But Jeremiah dampens their enthusiasm. This king in whom they were pinning such hopes, and this city to which they looked with such longing, and their brothers who had been left behind, were themselves facing judgments, judgments from YHWH which would remove all hope from them.
29.17 “Thus says YHWH of hosts, Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.”
For YHWH of hosts was about to send on them sword, and famine and pestilence to such an extent that it would make Jerusalem and Judah not a good place to be. They were to become like rotten, loathsome, inedible figs (compare 24.3, 8, although the word for vile here is different and signifies utterly loathsome), which turn men off and have nothing to offer them. Thus any idea of the current throne of David being a succour to them should be immediately dismissed..
29.18 “And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them,”
And not only would they experience the sword, and famine, and pestilence, but these things would continue to pursue them wherever they went, and they would be tossed to and from among all the kingdoms of the earth (compare 15.4; 24.9), to become an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations to which YHWH would send them (compare 24.9). The idea would appear to be that they would not participate in the coming restoration at the end of the seventy years because they were so perverted but would become a permanent spectacle to the nations who would simply despise them.
29.19 “Because they have not listened to my words, the word of YHWH, with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, but you would not hear, the word of YHWH,”
And this would happen to them because of their continual refusal to listen to His words as spoken by Jeremiah (this was the assured prophetic word of YHWH), and by previous prophets, words which He had, in terms of the usual Jeremaic expression (rising up early, etc. - 7.13, 25: 26.5; 32.33; 35.15), been at great pains to deliver to them.
But at this stage He now also includes those to whom Jeremiah is writing, for He deliberately changes from ‘them’ to ‘you’. The exiles must not be allowed to think that somehow they are not equally to blame for what has happened.
A Warning Not To Listen To The False Prophets Who Are Already Doomed Because Of Their False Prophecies And Equally False Ways (29.20-23).
29.20 “Hear you therefore the word of YHWH, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
Having explained why what the prophets were declaring was hopelessly wrong, Jeremiah now calls on all who are in captivity, despatched by YHWH from Jerusalem to Babylon, to hear the word of YHWH concerning the prophets themselves.
29.21-23 “Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes, and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, YHWH make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I did not command them, and I am he who knows, and am witness, the word of YHWH.”
It would appear that the two named prophets were actively conspiring against Nebuchadrezzar along with other dissidents in Babylon, as well as seeking to arouse the exiles to join in their conspiracy. That would be why they were picked out for special attention. Their names are otherwise unknown to us, but they were clearly known to Nebuchadrezzar. (The change back to Nebuchadrezzar from Nebuchadnezzar (29.1, 3) was because the former was how it was spelled in the letter, an incidental confirmation of the accuracy of the narrative). The fact that Jeremiah knew of them confirms that he was in close touch with what was happening among the exiles, and that regular correspondence went to and fro. Thus he was able to declare what would happen to them when he learned of their activities. YHWH would cause them to be arrested and brought before Nebuchadrezzar and sentenced to burning in a furnace, which was seemingly a regular punishment meted out by Nebuchadrezzar (Daniel 3.11, 15, 20-21). And this would be done before the eyes of the exiles as a warning to them of what happened to those who engaged in treasonable activity.
But the wider reason for the judgment brought on them as far as YHWH was concerned was that they had not only told lies in His Name, but had also ‘wrought folly in Israel’, a phrase which regularly indicates adultery and always a gross sin worthy of death (compare Genesis 34.7; Deuteronomy 22.21; Joshua 7.15; Judges 20.6). For they had committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, possibly when being officially consulted by them. As YHWH’s prophets this brought deep shame on His Name. And on top of this were the lies that they told in His Name, which He had not commanded. Thus they were doubly worthy of death, and a death so shocking that it would be used as a curse among the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the future. That this occurred we need not doubt. That is why it is recorded.
‘And I am he who knows, and am witness, the word of YHWH.’ These words are probably YHWH’s although they could be Jeremiah’s. For He is the One Who knows all things, and was therefore witness to their transgression. Either way they were a distinct reminder that YHWH knew exactly what was going on in Babylon. They should all be aware that they could not escape from His scrutiny just because they were there and not in Jerusalem.
Postscript Concerning The Request From Shemaiah The Prophet In Babylon Calling For Jeremiah To Be Severely Disciplined As A False Prophet Because Of His Declarations That Deliverance Would Be Delayed, And What Resulted From It (29.24-32).
This may be a postscript to the letter described above (in which case Jeremiah must have written previously), or more likely an indication of a later letter sent to Babylon once Shemaiah had written in response to this letter. It is interesting for a number of reasons:
29.24 “And concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,”
We know nothing further about Shemaiah other than what we learn here, nor do we know what the fact that he was a Nehemalite specifically indicated. The old idea that it signified ‘dreamer’ is now rejected because of its ending which probably indicates that he was from Nehemal, an unknown town or clan in Judah.
29.25 “Thus speaks YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,”
Jeremiah’s words are scathing. Shemaiah would almost certainly have written in the Name of YHWH, but Jeremiah writes off his claims and makes clear to all that really he had ‘written in his own name’. In other words that he was not a genuine prophet of YHWH. Shemaiah, however, had such a high opinion of himself and his own authority that he had written to all the people of Jerusalem, Zephaniah, possibly as acting High Priest, (‘the Priest’ usually means the High Priest, but Zephaniah was the second priest) and the whole priesthood. Fortunately his opinion of himself does not appear to have been shared by Zephaniah.
It would appear that at this stage Zephaniah was standing in for the then High Priest Jehoiada, who may have been rendered unsuitable for some reason. Zephaniah was strictly the second priest, and was so at the time of the fall of Jerusalem (52.24; 2 Kings 25.18; compare 21.1; 37.3), and possibly responsible for the oversight of prophets.
29.26-28 “YHWH has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of YHWH, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles, now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you, forasmuch as he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘It is long, Build yourselves houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit from them’?”
“YHWH has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest .” This may simply mean ‘appointed as second priest with specific responsibility for prophets’, but if so, in view of the wide nature of those addressed, why would Shemaiah have omitted also addressing the High Priest? Thus Zephaniah may actually have been temporarily standing in for the High Priest, possibly for political reasons, or because Jehoiada had for some reason been rendered incapable of acting, with Seraiah, the later High Priest (52.24), not yet of age.
Shemaiah’s point was that it was Zephaniah’s responsibility to control the prophets and that he should therefore be acting against false prophets (depicted as ‘mad’ on the grounds that only a madman would ‘make himself a prophet’. Thereby, without realising it, he was condemning himself). He should have been putting such madmen in the stocks and in shackles (the treatment for mad people). Why then had he not disciplined Jeremiah who had clearly ‘made himself a prophet’, as was evident from the fact that he disagreed with all the prophets of YHWH in Babylon? YHWH could not speak in two voices at once. His complaint was that Jeremiah had sent a letter to Babylon (presumably the letter described above) telling the exiles that their exile would last for a long time, and that they should therefore build permanent houses, dwell in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit (verse 5). In other words he was denying that the prophecies of the prophets in Babylon were true.
29.29 ‘And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.’
Shemaiah had rather overestimated his own authority, for Zephaniah does not appear to have taken his letter too seriously. He appears to have been on reasonable terms with Jeremiah (21.1; 37.3) and thus showed him the letter. Had the intent not been good we would have expected that he would be rebuked by YHWH along with Shemaiah. He may have intended Jeremiah to take warning from it, or may simply have done it out of interest, and so that Jeremiah might be aware of the opposition. But there is no suggestion that he followed up on the letter or had any vindictive idea in mind.
29.30-32 ‘Then came the word of YHWH to Jeremiah, saying, “Send to all those of the captivity, saying, Thus says YHWH concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie, therefore thus says YHWH, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed. He will not have a man to dwell among this people, nor will he behold the good that I will do to my people, the word of YHWH, because he has spoken rebellion against YHWH.”
YHWH provided Jeremiah with a reply to Shemaiah’s letter which was to be addressed to all the exiles who were apparently living together in a community. It informed the community that Shemaiah was a false prophet. Although he had prophesied he had not been sent by YHWH, and he had made them trust in a lie. Therefore YHWH would punish both him and his family. Any men in his close family would die, no more sons would be born to him, and he himself would not survive until the restoration. Thus basically his name would be blotted out of Israel. And this was on the sure prophetic word of YHWH. And the reason was because of his rebellion against YHWH. Thus while not suffering to the same extent as the previous two prophets, and as Hananiah in Jerusalem, he was to suffer in the long run.
Back to Jeremiah 1 (1.1-10.25).
Back to Jeremiah 2 (11.1-17.27).
Back to Jeremiah 3 (18.1-25.38).
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