John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 40

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord
The word of prophecy, as the Targum; but there being no prophecy in this and the following chapter, only a narration of facts, this is generally referred to what came ten days after, and which begins (Jeremiah 42:7) ; so Jarchi and Kimchi; all between being included in a parenthesis, or a relation of facts preparatory, to lead on to it; though Abarbinel takes it to be a general title to all histories and prophecies in this book, from henceforward to the end of it. Jarchi and Kimchi make mention of a Midrash, which refers it to the special word of the Lord to Jeremiah to go to Gedaliah, (Jeremiah 40:5) ; interpreting that passage as the words of the Lord, and not of Nebuzaradan; but Abarbinel's sense seems best.

The time of this prophecy was after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from
Ramah ;
which was a city in the land of Benjamin near Gibeon, seven miles from Jerusalem, as Jerom ^F17 says; here Nebuzaradan had his rendezvous, whither he brought his captives as they fell into his hands, among whom were Jeremiah: when he had taken him ;
out of the court of the prison, and out of Jerusalem, and brought him to Ramah: being bound in chains among all them that were carried away captive of
Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon ;

how it came to pass is not certain, but so it was; that, though by the orders of Nebuzaradan and the princes, agreeably to the command of the king of Babylon, Jeremiah was taken out of the court of the prison, yet was not set free; but without the knowledge of Nebuzaradan, and through the inadvertency of inferior officers, he was taken and bound, and with other prisoners brought to Ramah, in order to be transported to Babylon, which lay in the way to it; for Ramah was to the north of Jerusalem, as Babylon was: these chains were for the hands, or what we call handcuffs, as Kimchi, Abarbinel, and Ben Melech observe, and as appears from (Jeremiah 40:4) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F17: Comment in Hos. v. 8,

And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah When he mustered his prisoners, to his great surprise he found the prophet among them, whom he took out from them, and set him free; though, before he dismissed him, he had the following conversation with him: and said unto him, the Lord your God has pronounced this evil on this place; the city of Jerusalem; from where the prophet and the rest of the captives were just brought, and which now lay in ruins; the houses burnt; the walls broken down; and the inhabitants spoiled and carried captive.

This was the evil which the Lord, he says, had "decreed", as the Targum renders it; had purposed to bring upon it; and which he had declared and pronounced by the mouth of Jeremiah, whose Lord God he was, being his prophet, and a worshipper of him: this Nebuzaradan was apprized of by the Jews that deserted to the Chaldeans; and particularly, as is probable, by Gedaliah.

Now the Lord has brought [it], and done according as he has said. As he purposed, so it came to pass; as he foretold by his prophet, so it was brought about by his providence.

This Heathen captain acknowledges the hand of the Lord in all this; and suggests, that his master, the king of Babylon, himself, and the rest of the generals, were only instruments the Lord made use of; which is very piously as well as wisely said.

And more is here acknowledged by him than by the Jews themselves; who were not willing to believe that God had determined evil against them, or would bring it on them; at least, this they did not care to believe and own before, whatever they did now.

He goes on to observe the cause of all this: because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you; meaning not Jeremiah particularly, but his countrymen; and perhaps he might turn himself to, and address, the captives that were before him.

Here he vindicates the justice of God; and ascribes the ruin of this people, not to the valour of Nebuchadnezzar and his captains; nor to the strength, and courage, and skilfulness of his army; or to any righteousness and merits of the king of Babylon; or to the justness of his cause; but to the sins of the people.

And now, behold, I loose you this day from the chains which
[were] upon your hands
Or rather are; for, when he said these words, it is highly probable they were on him, though now ordered to be taken off; these were not what were put upon him by the Jews, when in the court of the prison; for rather his legs, than his hands, would have had fetters on them there; but what were put upon him by the Chaldeans, when he fell into their hands; though inadvertently done by the inferior officers, and without the knowledge of the princes, or of this captain, who loosed them; with these he came manacled to Ramah, with the rest of the captives, but now were loosed in the sight of them.

if it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and one
will look well to you ;
or, "I will set mine eyes upon you" ^F18 ; as the king of Babylon had ordered him to do, (Jeremiah 39:12) ; would favour him, protect him, provide for him, and use him in the most kind and generous manner.

but if it seems ill to you to come with me to Babylon, forbear ;
if it was not agreeable to him to leave his native country, and to go into Babylon, he would not urge it, but leave him to his liberty; yea, would advise him to continue where he was, and not take one step out of it.

behold, all the land [is] before you ;
the land of Judea, which was at the disposal of the king of Babylon; and Jeremiah has a grant from him, by his officer, to settle where he pleased.

where it seems good and convenient for you to go, there go ;
he left him to take his own way, and do as he thought fit; and this agrees with his master's orders to him, (Jeremiah 39:12) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (Kyle ynye ta Myvaw) "ponam oculos meos super te", Schmidt; "et ponam oculum meum super te", Pagninus, Montanus.

Now while he was not yet gone back, [he said], go back also to Gedaliah

These words, by different versions, are made difficult to be understood, both, whose words they are, and of whom they are spoken.

Jarchi makes them to be words of God, and the sense this, ``and by all this he (Jeremiah) had no mind to return; and God said to him, go back to Gedaliah.''

According to the Targum, they are the words of Nebuzaradan, which paraphrases them thus; ``if thou wilt not return (that is, with him to Babylon, or rather to Jerusalem, or best to his own native place), or if thou wilt not dwell (that is, in this place), go back to Gedaliah.''

But of whom they are spoken interpreters differ. Some say of Zedekiah, as Cocceius; while he (Zedekiah) does not return, that is, to Jerusalem; which possibly he might, though as yet not determined by the king of Babylon; in the mean while is bid to go to Gedaliah, appointed governor. Others of Gedaliah, thus, while he (Gedaliah) does not return, but stays at Mizpah, go to him thither.

Though it seems best to understand it of Jeremiah, who, having had leave from the captain, did not immediately set out anywhere; but, seeming to be at a loss which way to go, Nebuzaradan gives him his advice; that seeing he did not care to go to Babylon, that he would go to Gedaliah the son of, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over all the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people;

This was one of the princes of Judah, who, during the siege, went over to the Chaldeans, and who was in great esteem with them; and being, no doubt, recommended to the king of Babylon by his generals, he made him governor of the land under him:

or go wherever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go; though he gave him his advice, he did not press it, but left him at full liberty to take his own way, and go into what part of the land he pleased, and settle in it:

so the captain of the guard gave him victuals, and a reward, and let him go; the prophet was just come out of prison, and destitute of the necessaries of life, and the land was laid waste by the enemy; and therefore he could not have subsisted without a supply, which was liberally given by the captain; not only food for present refreshment, and sufficient for his journey, which way soever he took, but a present of money or clothes, or both; which was very kind usage of a prophet by a Heathen officer.