Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_632.TXT

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his father Barzi!lai, who shewed kindness to him when
he was obliged to flee from Absalom; which, though
it returned to David's family in the year of jubilee, as
all inheritances did, yet might continue to be called
after tbe name of Chimham, in commemoration of the
royal grant of it to him. Josephus {r} calls the name of
the place Maudra. The reason why Johanan and
those with him pitched on this place was, because it
lay in the way to go to enter into Egypt; where they
had an inclination to go; having still a friendly regard
to that people, and a confidence in them, as appears by
some following chapters; and that they might be ready
and at hand to flee thither, should the Chaldeans come
.against them, which they feared.
Vet. 18. Because of the Chaldeans, &c.3 Which
clause some think should hive been joined to the pre.
ceding verse. This is a reason given why they de.
parted from Mizpah, and dwelt at the habitation of
Chimham in the way to Egypt; and which is explained
in the next words.: for they were afraid of them ; at
least this they pretended, that the Chaldeans would
come upon them, and cut them off, and revenge them-
selves on them: because lshmael the son of Netbanish
had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of
Babylon made governor in the land; no doubt it was
provoking to them to hear that the viceroy or deputy-
governor of the king of Babylon was slain in this man-
ner; and still more so, as there were many Chaldeans
slain with him; but there was no reason to believe
that the king of Babylon would carry his resentment
against the Jews with Johnnan, or take vengeance on
them, who had so bravely appeared against the mur-
derers, and had rescued the captives out of their hands:
this seems only a pretence for their going into Egypt;
for though they were promised safety in Judah by the
Prophet Jeremy, yet they were still for going into
Egypt, as the following chapters shew.

C H A P. XLII.

THIS chapter contains a request of the Jews to Je-
remiah, to pray to the Lord for them to direct them,
and the Lord's answer to it. The request is made by
the captains and all the people, yet. 1, 2, 3. which Je-
remiah undertook to present to the Lord, vet. 4. they
promising to go according to the direction that should
be given, ver. 5, 6. After ten days an answer is re-
turned, and the prophet calls the captains and people
together to hear it, vet. 7, 8. the purport of which was,
that if they continued in the land of Judah, it would
be well with them, and they would be safe, vet. 9, 10,
11, l2. but if they went into Egypt, they should die by
the sword, famine, and. pestilence, and be a curse and
reproach, and never see their own land more, ver.
13--18. they are charged with dissimulation and dis-
obedience, vet. 19, 20, 21. and the chapter is concluded
with an assurance of their perishing by the above judg,
ments in the place they were desirous of dwelling in,
vet. 22.
Ver. 1. Then all the captains of the forces, &c.]
Having taken up their residence at the habitation of
Chimham, in their way to Egypt, where they were de-
sirous of going, and being afraid of the Chaldeans, as
they pretended: and Johanan the son of Kareah ; or,
even Johnnan '; especially and particularly he, the
principal captain and chief spokesman in this affair:
and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah ; said to be the son
ofa Maachathite, ch. xl. 8: and all the people,from the
least even unto the greatest: a phrase expressive of the
universality of them in the strongest terms: came near;
that is, to Jeremiah; who either was at Mizpah when
Gedaliah was slain, but preserved by the Lord; and
though carried captive by Ishmael with the rest, was
rescued by Johnnan; and now along with him : or
rather after he had been with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and
made a short stay there, he went to Anathoth, and there
abode till now; and when Johanan took those that
were left at Mizpah, he gathered together all the rest
of the Jews in different places to him, in order to go to
Egypt, and among the rest the Prophet Jeremiah; for
it can hardly be thought, had he been at Mizpah when
Ishmael was there, he would have escaped without a
miracle.
Ver. 2. And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, &c,]
That is, some one of them, as the mouth of the whole
body, very probably Johanan: let, we beseech thee, our
supplication be accepted before thee; they treat the pro-
phet with great respect, and are very humble and sub-
missive, as if they were very hearty and sincere in their
request: and pray for us unto the Lord thy God; as if
they were conscious of their own inability to pray for
themselves, and of their unworthiness to call God their
God; and as if they had a high opinion of,he prophet,
as having an interest in God, and great power with him
in prayer, whom he could not well deny any thing:
even for all this remnant; this poor remnant, this
handful of people, left of the sword, famine, and pes-
tilence, left in the land by the Chaldeans, and who
had escaped the cruelty of Ishmael; and tbr whom it
might be hoped the Lord would still have a regard,
since he had so mercifully and wonderfully preserved
them: for we are left but a few of many, as thine e!yes
do behold us; the number of the people had been very
large, but by the judgments of the sword, famine, and
pestilence, and captivity, they were greatly reduced;
here was their whole number before the prophet; his
eyes beheld them, and the condition they were in:
this they saidto move his compassion, and very likely to
suggest to him how improbable it was that they should
ever be able to continue in their own land; but that
it would be better to put themselves under the pro-
tection of a neighbouring nation, Egypt, whither they

{r} Antiqu. I. 10. c. 9. sect. 5.
{s} \^Nnxwyw\^ imprimis Johanan, Schmidt; nempe Johanan, Piscator,
Grotius.