John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 29:22

"and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying, Jehovah make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;" — Jeremiah 29:22 (ASV)

And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of
Judah which [are] in Babylon A form of cursing; when they cursed anyone, or wished him ill, it should be in such like manner as follows; so odious and detestable would these men be afterwards to them, whom they, at least some of them, took to be the prophets of the Lord:

saying, the Lord make thee like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom the king
of Babylon roasted in the fire ; or "burnt them" ^F4 ; not at once, but with a slow fire; so the Maccabees were roasted, ``Then the king, being in a rage, commanded pans and caldrons to be made hot: '' (2 Maccabees. 7:3) Burning persons with fire, and casting them into a fiery furnace, were methods used by the Chaldeans to put people to death, (Daniel 3:6) ; and roasting men at a fire was used by the Chinese ^F5 .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (Mlq) "combussit", Pagninus; "ustulavit", Munster; so Ben Melech says the word signifies "burning".
• F5: Martin Hist. Sinic. p. 257.