Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 32:1-11

"The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. Now at that time the king of Babylon`s army was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah`s house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith Jehovah: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper? And Jeremiah said, The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanamel mine uncle`s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of Jehovah, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of Jehovah. And I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel mine uncle`s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And I subscribed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, [according to] the law and custom, and that which was open:" — Jeremiah 32:1-11 (ASV)

1. Here, he consoles them through an action.

   First, he indicates the time of the prophecy by referencing the king's reign: in the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, which is the eighteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar. This is so that from these details, we can understand what was said previously: in the fourth year of Jehoiakim was the first of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:1).

   He also notes the siege of the city: at that time the army of the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. I shall make a circle round about you, and I shall cast up a rampart against you, and I shall set up bulwarks to besiege you (Isaiah 29:3). And he mentions the prophet's imprisonment, speaking of its misery: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the courtyard of the prison. He has built up against me round about that I might not go out; he has made my fetters heavy (Lamentations 3:7).

   And he gives the reason for his imprisonment, which was the question: why do you prophesy? It was because he preached the capture of the city: behold, I shall give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon.

   He prophesied the king's captivity: and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans.

   And he foretold the hardship of the wars: but if you shall fight . . . you shall have no success. This relates to what was said previously: I shall vanquish you with an outstretched hand, and with a mighty arm, and with fury, and indignation, and great wrath. And I will strike the inhabitants of this city (Jeremiah 21:5–6). For this reason, this chapter, historically speaking, should be connected with that one.

2. The prophetic act is presented: and Jeremiah said.

   1. A purchase is mentioned.

   2. The interpretation of the act is given, starting at and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch (Jeremiah 32:12).

   3. The confirmation of the interpretation is provided, starting at and I prayed to the Lord (Jeremiah 32:16).

   Regarding the first point, the purchase, there are three aspects.

   1. The seller's invitation to buy is presented, where he shares the word of invitation that was revealed to him: behold, Hananel shall come to you . . . for the right of inheritance is yours. So that the tribes would not be mixed together, the Lord commanded that possessions should be sold only to those who were of the same family (Numbers 36:6–9, Leviticus 25:23–34), a rule that was observed particularly for the possessions of the Levites. He also speaks of the arrival of the one inviting him to buy: and Hananel, the son of my uncle, came to me, according to the word of the Lord, because God's word is not spoken without purpose. Has he said, and will he not do it, he has spoken and shall he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19).

   2. The purchase itself is described: I understood by the prophetic spirit—otherwise, it would have seemed foolish to buy a field at such a time. From this, we can also note the prophet’s obedience, as it says previously: and I am not troubled following you, my shepherd; and I have not desired the day of man, you know (Jeremiah 17:16). The payment of the price is also described: and I weighed out on the scales seven staters, that is, shekels, each one consisting of twenty obolsThe shekel consisted of twenty smaller coins, but they were not called obols, an Athenian unit currency, but gerahs (cf. Ex. 30:13; Ezek. 45:12). of silver (Ezekiel 45:12); these are the same as shekels.

   3. The confirmation of the purchase is described: and I wrote it in a book, and sealed it with the seal of the seller and of the witnesses. The text also mentions stipulations—when one party asks and another responds, the contract is strengthened—and the ratification, which is the approval of the sale. I have called to myself faithful witnesses (Isaiah 8:2).