Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_610.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-15 | 7KB | 127 lines

or permitted Jehudi to do it; not' would he suffer it to
be taken out till it was all consumed.
Ver. 26. But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son
of Hammelech, &c.3 Or, the king's son, as the Targum;
though it rather seems to be the proper name of a per-
son, one of the king's servants; since it is not probable
he would send his own son on such an errand; and had
he, he would rather have been called his own son than
the king's son; besides, Jeconiah, who succeeded him,.
seems to be his eldest son, and yet he now could not be
more than twelve years of age; whereas this Jerahmcel
must be a man grown; and had he been an eider son,
as he must, he would have succeeded him, unless it can
be thought that he died before his father: and Scraiah
the son of ./lzriel, and 8hclemiah the son of Abdeel, to
take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; in
order to bring them before the king, or to imprison
them, or put them to death, for which they might
have the king's warrant; the one for prophesying, and
the other for writing out and reading his prophecies;
though Baruch may be called a scribe, not for being
the amanuensis of Jeremiah; but because he was one
of the scribes of the law, or doctors of the people: but
the Lord hid them; the princes advised them to hide
themselves, and they did, very probably in a house of
some of their friends; but this would not have been
sufficient, had not the Lord took them under his pro-
tection; there was no doubt a special providence con-
certted for them; but by what means this preservation
was is not known. Kimchi suggests that these mes-
sengers sought for them in the very place where they
were, and could not find them; and conjectures that
the Lord set darkness about them, or weakeneta the
visive faculty of those that searched for them, that
they could not see them.
Vet. 27. Then the word of the Lord came to Jere-
miah, &c.3 In the place where he was hid; the Lord
knew where he was, for he hid him, and therefore
could send his word to him: after the king had burnt
the roll; either with his own hands, or had ordered it
to be burnt, or connived at the burning of it: and the
words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah;
hence the Jews {*} gather, that when a man sees the
book of the law burnt, that he is bound to rend his gar-
ments twice; once for the burning of the paper or
parchment, and again for the burning of the writing;
but no other is meant than the roll, in which the pro-
phecies were written, Baruch took from the mouth of
Jeremiah: saying; as follows:
Vet. 28. Take thee again another roll, &c.'] Or a
piece of parchment; or rather several pieces of parch-
ment glued or rolled up together: and write in it all
the former words that were in the first roll, whichJehoia-
kim the king of Judah hath burnt; just as when the two
tables of the law were broken, two others were made,
and the same laws written on them; and so here the
same spirit of God, which brought to the mind of the
prophet all iris former discourses and prophecies, so
that he could readily dictate them to Baruch, could
and did renew them again; wherefore Jehoiakim's
burning of the roll signified nothing: all attempts to
destroy the word of God are in vain; they always have
been, and will be; for the word of the Lord endures
for ever.
Vet. c29. And thou shall sa3t to Jehoiakim king of
Judah, &c.] Or, concerning{w} him; since the prophet
was hid, and he was in quest of him; nor was it safe
for him to appear in person before him; though thi.
may be understoodas what should be put into the
cond roll, and in that he addressed to him: thus saith
the Lord, thou hast burnt this roll; or that roll; or had
suffered or ordered it to be burnt, giving this as a rea-
son for it: why hast thou therein written,; what the
king would have to be a great falsehood, and which he
thought never came from the Lord; but was a device
of Jeremiah, to whom he ascribed the writing of them,
though it was Baruch's, because dictated by him:
saying, the king of Babylon shall certainly come and de-
strop this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man
and beast ? by killing some, and carrying off others, so
that the destruction should be complete. He takes no
notice of hitnself and his family, as if his concern was
only for the nation; and that he took it ill that any
thing should be said which expressed the ruin of that,
and might dishearten the inhabitants of it.
Vet. 3o. Therefore thus saith the Lord, of Jehoiakim
king of Judah, &c.3 Or, concertring {x} him; for Jehovah
is not here said to be the Lord oJ dehoiakim, though
he was, being King of kings, and Lord of lords;
bat as speaking concerning hitn, and threatening
him, as follows: he shall have none to sit upon the
throne of David; that is, none of his issue that should
reign after him, or surceed him in the throne of David
and kingdom of Judah; tbr his son Jeconiah reigned
but three months, which is reckoned as nothing, and
could not be called sitting upon the throne; and, be-
sides, was never confirmed by the king of Babylon, in
whose power he was, and by whom he was carried
captive; and Zedekiah, who followed, was not his
lawfull successor, was brother to Jehoiakim, and uncle
to Jeconiah, and was set up by the king of Babylon in
contempt of the latter; and as for Zorobabel, he was
no king, nor was there any of this family till the Mes-
siah came: and his dead body shall be cast out in the
day to the heat, and i,, the night to the frost. The sense
is, he should have no burial but that of an ass, ch.
xxii. 18, 19. should be cast into a ditch, and be ex-
posed to the heat of the sun in the day-time, and to
nipping frosts at night, and so putrefy' and become
nauseous; and though the body would be insensible
of it, yet would it be very reproachful to the cha-
racter of a prince, and shocking to any to behold; and
very disagreeable and dreadful for himself to hear and
think of.
Vet. 31. And I will punish him and his seeel and his
servants for their iniquity, &c.] In cutting the roll
pieces, and burning it, as Abarbinel interprets it;
which either was done by himself, or by his order,
and with his connivance; arid at which perhaps his
sons were present, and expressed a pleasure in it; an&
his servants that stood by assented to it, excepting
three; nor were they afraid ot' the judgments of God

{u} T. Bab. Moed Katon, fol. 26. 1.
{w} \^le\^ de, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt.
{x} \^le\^ de, Schmidt, &c.