Albert Barnes Commentary Jeremiah 22
Albert Barnes Commentary
Jeremiah 22
Albert Barnes Commentary
Jeremiah 22
"Thus said Jehovah: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word," — Jeremiah 22:1 (ASV)
Go down - that is, from the temple to the king’s house. Compare to 2 Chronicles 23:20.
"For thus saith Jehovah concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto me, [and] the head of Lebanon; [yet] surely I will make thee a wilderness, [and] cities which are not inhabited." — Jeremiah 22:6 (ASV)
Omit "and." Thou art a Gilead unto me, a summit of Lebanon.
Yet surely – literally, "if not," the form of an oath with the imprecation omitted. For the full form, see Numbers 14:23.
A wilderness, and cities – Omit "and." The meaning is: If the house of David does not hear God’s words, though it is now grand as Lebanon, God will make it a wilderness, even uninhabited cities; the house of David being regarded as equivalent to the kingdom of Judah.
"And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire." — Jeremiah 22:7 (ASV)
Prepare—that is, consecrate; see the note on Jeremiah 6:4.
Your choice cedars—the chief members of the royal lineage and the leading officers of state.
"Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for him that goeth away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. For thus saith Jehovah touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, [and] who went forth out of this place: He shall not return thither any more. But in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more." — Jeremiah 22:10-12 (ASV)
In the two preceding prophecies, Jeremiah stated the general principle on which depend the rise and downfall of kings and nations. He now adds, for Zedekiah’s warning, the history of three thrones which were not established.
The first is that of Shallum, the successor of Josiah, who probably took the name of Jehoahaz on his accession (see the notes on the marginal references).
The dead – that is, Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:25).
That goeth away – Rather, that is gone away.
"Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his neighbor`s service without wages, and giveth him not his hire;" — Jeremiah 22:13 (ASV)
Far worse is the second example. Shallum was no heartless tyrant like Jehoiakim, who lived in splendor amid the misery of the nation, and perished so little cared for that his body was cast aside without burial.
His chambers—Really, his upper chambers. From the absence of machinery, the raising of materials for the upper stories was a difficult task, especially when massive stones were used.
His work—He does not give him his wages.
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