Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_614.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-15 | 7KB | 128 lines

used those very ill that were his prisoners; and in-
deed, if he had not been of such a character, he would
sca. rcely have suffered his house to have been made a
prlsoa.
Ver. 16. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon,
&c.3 Or, into the house ofthepit{l}; a dungeon, like a
pit or ditch, dark, dirty, or dismal: and into the cabins;
or cells{m}; into a place more inward than the cells, as
the Targum; into the innermost and worst part in all
the prison, where a man could not well lie, sit, nor
stand: and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
in this very uncomfortable condition; very probably
till the Chaldean army returned to Jerusalem, as he
foretold it should.
Ver. 17. Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him
out, &c.3 After Jeremiah had been in prison for some
time; and the Chaldean army being returned, and
having renewed their siege, the king is frightsned; and
knowing the prophet was in prison, sends a messenger
to take him out from thence, and bring him to him;
which was accordingly done: and the king asked him
secretly in his house; he took him into some private
apartment, and there alone conferred with him, for
fear of his princes and courtiers; who he knew bore
no good will to the prophet, and would be ready to
charge him with timidity; and said unto him, is there
any word from the Lord? he means any particular
· word of prophecy, any late one, and what concerned
their present circumstances, shewing what would be
the issue of the return of the Chaldean army; for pro-
phecy did not come at all times, nor even according to
the will of man, but always according to the will of God,
and when he thought fit; this the king knew very well,
and he wanted a comfortable word, some good news of
the unsuccessfulness of the present attempt: and Jere-
miah said, there is; but not such an one as he wanted;
it was of the same strain with the former, and confirmed
all that the prophet had from time to time told him
and his predecessor what would certainly be the case:
ior, said he, thou shall be delivered into the hand of the
ing of Babylon; which was boldly and faithfully said,
to be said to the face of the king himself, risking his
life in so doing; or, at least, exposing himself to se-
verer treatment, if severer could be used.
Ver. 18. Moreover, Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah,
&c.] Having this opportunity with him alone, and
perhaps observing the king was melted and softened
with what he had said; however, finding liberty in his
own mind, he enlarges his discourse, and freely ex-
postulates with him in the following manner: what
have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or
against this people, that ye have put me in prison ? or,
what have I sinned ? what sin have I been guilty of ?
have I been guilty of treason against thee, O king ? or
of scandal and defamation of any of thy nobles and
courtiers ? have I done any injury to any of the king's
subjects ? has there been any falsehood in my prophe-
cies? has not every thing appeared to be true that I
have spoken, concerning the coming of the Chaldeans
to invade the land, and besiege the city ? and con-
cerning the return of the Chaldean army when broken
up? why then should I be cast into prison, and de-
tained there ? is it not a clear case that what I have
said comes from the Lord ? and therefore ought not to
be used in this manner.
Ver. 19. Where are now your prophets that prophesied
unto you, &c.] Your false prophets, as the Targum;
what's become of their prophecies ? where's the truth
of them, to which general credit has been given ? where
are they ? let them appear and defend themselves, if
they can, from the charge of lying, and of being false
prophets ? or where are they ? tacitly suggesting the
different circumstances of him and them; he, who
was a true prophet, was laid in a prison; they, who
were false prophets, were caressed in the palaces of
the king and Iris nobles, and in fayour with the people
in general: saying, the king of Babylon shall not come
against you, nor against this land ? gave out that the
king of Babylon would never invade the land of Judea,
or besiege the city of Jerusalem, which proved false;
and still they had the front to say, that when the siege
.was raised, he would never come again; whereas he
was then returned to it, and was now besieging it; so
that here were notorious falsehoods delivered out by
them.
Ver. 20. Therefore hear now, 1 pray thee, 0 my lord
the king, &c.] When the prophet spoke in the name
of the Lord, and the words of the Lord, it was with
great boldness and majesty; but when he spoke for
himself, and on his own behalf, it was with great sub-
mission, as it became a subject to his king; and whom
he owns as his sovereign lord, though a wicked prince,
and whose destruction he knew was at hand: let my
supplication be accepted before thee; or, fall before thee:
see ch. xxxvi. 7. which was as follows: that thou cause
me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe; but
that he might be discharged from his confinement; or
however be removed into another prison, not so un-
comfortable and disagreeable as thisman's house or pri-
son was; and which perhaps was still the worse through
his cruel and ill-natured carriage to him; and which
all together endangered his life: wherefore he adds,
lest I die there; for though he had continued there
many days, yet the place was so exceedingly noisome,
that he thought he could n'ot long continue there, was
he remanded back to it.
Ver. 21. Then Zedekiah the king commanded that
they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison,
&c.] He did not think fit to discharge him entirely,
lest it should give offence tothe princes, who had com-
mitted him; but he ordered him to be put in a court
belonging to the prison, where he might breathe in a
freer air, and have liberty of walking to and fro, where
his friends might be admitted to come and see him:
and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out
of the balcers' street; it seems there was a street in
rusalem so called, where the bakers lived; and perhaps
the king's bakers; who had orders to deliver to the
prophet every day a piece or loaf of bread, as much as
was sufficient for a man; or, however, as much as the
scarcity of provisions in a siege would allow.. Kimchi
makes mention of a Midrash, which interprets this of

{l} \^rwbh tyb la\^ in, vel ad domum laci, Pagninus, Montanus; in
domum foveae, Schmidt.
{m} \^twynxh law\^ & in cellulas illius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator;
& ad cellas, Schmidt.