Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jeremiah 42

Introduction

1  Johanan desires Jeremiah to enquire of God, promising obedience to his will.
7  Jeremiah assures him of safety in Judea;
13  and destruction in Egypt.
19  He reproves their hypocrisy, in enquiring of the Lord that which they mean not to follow.
Verse 1

Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
all the
8, 40:8,13, 41:11,16, 43:4,5
Jezaniah
2 Kings 25:23, Ezekiel 8:11, 11:1
Jaazaniah
from
8, 5:4,5, 6:13, 8:10, 44:12, Acts 8:10
came
20, Isaiah 29:13, 48:1, 58:1,2, Ezekiel 14:3,4, 20:1-3, 33:31, Matthew 15:8
Verse 2

And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
be accepted before thee
Heb. fall before thee.
36:7, 37:20; *marg:
and pray
17:15,16, 21:2, 37:3, Exodus 8:28, 9:28, 1 Samuel 7:8, 12:19,23, 1 Kings 13:6, Isaiah 1:15, 37:4, Acts 8:24, James 5:16
left
Leviticus 26:22, Deuteronomy 4:27, 28:62, Isaiah 1:9, Lamentations 1:1, Ezekiel 5:3,4, 12:16, Zechariah 13:8,9, Matthew 24:22
Verse 3

That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
6:16, Deuteronomy 5:26,29, 1 Kings 8:36, Ezra 8:21, Psalms 25:4,5, 27:11, 86:11, Psalms 143:8-10, Proverbs 3:6, Isaiah 2:3, Micah 4:2, Mark 12:13,14
Verse 4

Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
Jeremiah
The princes seem to have wholly neglected Jeremiah, till on this occasion they wanted his sanction to their purpose of going to Egypt. In order to induce him to favour them, they applied to him with one consent, in the most respectful and plausible manner: they used language to prepossess him with a favourable opinion of them, and to move his compassion; and, in words expressing great humility, they entreated his prayers in their behalf, and that he would enquire of the Lord what he would have them to do. The prophet readily acquiesced; and doubted not but that he should receive an answer from God, which he would unreservedly declare to them; and they called the Lord to witness that they would implicitly follow his directions.
I will pray
Exodus 8:29, 1 Samuel 12:23, Romans 10:1
whatsoever
23:28, 1 Kings 22:14-16, 2 Chronicles 18:13-15, Ezekiel 2:7
I will keep
1 Samuel 3:17,18, Psalms 40:10, Acts 20:20,27
Verse 5

Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
The Lord be
5:2, Genesis 31:50, Exodus 20:7, Judges 11:10, 1 Samuel 12:5, 20:42, Micah 1:2, Malachi 2:14, 3:5, Romans 1:9, Revelation 1:5, 3:14
if we
Exodus 20:19, Deuteronomy 5:27-29
Verse 6

Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
it be good
Romans 7:7,13, 8:7
that it
7:23, Deuteronomy 5:29,33, 6:2,3, Psalms 81:13-16, 128:2, Isaiah 3:10
Verse 7

And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
Psalms 27:14, Isaiah 28:16, Habakkuk 2:3
Verse 8

Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
Johanan
1, 40:8,13, 41:11-16, 43:2-5
Verse 9

And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
unto
2, 2 Kings 19:4,6,20-37, 22:15-20
Verse 10

If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
abide
Genesis 26:2,3, Psalms 37:3
then
24:6, 31:28, 33:7, Psalms 69:35, 102:16, Ezekiel 36:36, Acts 15:16
for I
18:7-10, 26:19, Exodus 32:14, Deuteronomy 32:36, Judges 2:18, 2 Samuel 24:16, Psalms 106:45, Hosea 11:8, Joel 2:13, Amos 7:3,6, Jonah 3:10, 4:2
Verse 11

Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
afraid
27:12,17, 41:18, 2 Kings 25:26, Matthew 10:28
for I
1:19, 15:20, Deuteronomy 20:4, Joshua 1:5,9, 2 Chronicles 32:7,8, Psalms 46:7,11, Isaiah 8:8-10, Isaiah 41:10, 43:2,5, Matthew 28:20, Acts 18:10, Romans 8:31, 2 Timothy 4:17
Verse 12

And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
Nehemiah 1:11, Psalms 106:45,46, Proverbs 16:7
Verse 13

But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
10, 44:16, Exodus 5:2
Verse 14

Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
we will go
41:17, 43:7, Deuteronomy 29:19, Isaiah 30:16, 31:1
nor hear
4:19,21, Exodus 16:3, 17:3, Numbers 11:5, 16:13
Verse 15

And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
If
If ye are determined to go into Egypt, the evils which ye dreaded by staying in your own land shall overtake and destroy you there; "and there shall ye die." God turned the policy of the wicked to their own destruction; for while they thought themselves safe in Egypt, there Nebuchadnezzar destroyed both them and the Egyptians.
17, 44:12-14, Genesis 31:21, Deuteronomy 17:16, Daniel 11:17, Luke 9:51
Verse 16

Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
that the sword
13, 44:13,27, Deuteronomy 28:15,22,45, Proverbs 13:21, Ezekiel 11:8, Amos 9:1-4, Zechariah 1:6, John 11:48
follow close
Heb. cleave. there ye.
44:11,12,27
Verse 17

So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
it be with all the men
Heb. all the men be. they shall.
22, 24:10, 44:14
none
44:28
Verse 18

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
As mine
The people had witnessed the tremendous effects of the wrath of God, in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem; and had they not been past feeling, this denunciation must have made their ears tingle, and appalled their very souls.
6:11, 7:20, 39:1-9, 52:4-11, 2 Kings 25:4-7, 2 Chronicles 34:25, 36:16-19, Lamentations 2:4, 4:11, Ezekiel 22:22, Daniel 9:11,27, Nahum 1:6, Revelation 14:10, 16:2-21
ye shall be
18:16, 24:9, 25:9, 26:6, 29:18,22, 44:12, Deuteronomy 29:21,22, 1 Kings 9:7-9, Isaiah 65:15, Zechariah 8:13
and ye shall see
22:10-12,27
Verse 19

The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Go
God knew, that such was their miserable propensity to idolatry, that they would adopt the idolatrous worship of Egypt. Add to which, their going thither for protection was in effect refusing to submit to the king of Babylon, to whom God had decreed the rule of Judah and the neighbouring kingdoms.
Deuteronomy 17:16, Isaiah 30:1-7, 31:1-3, Ezekiel 17:15
know
38:21, Ezekiel 3:21, Acts 20:26,27
admonished you
Heb. testified against you.
Deuteronomy 31:21, 2 Chronicles 24:19, Nehemiah 9:26,29,30, Acts 2:40, Ephesians 4:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:6
Verse 20

For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
For ye
God made known to the prophet their dissimulation; which he shunned not to declare to them.
3:10, 17:10, Psalms 18:44, 65:3, Ezekiel 14:3,4, 33:31, Matthew 22:15-18,35, Galatians 6:7
dissembled in your hearts
Heb. have used deceit against your souls.
Numbers 16:38, James 1:22
Pray
Verse 21

And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
I have
Deuteronomy 11:26,27, Ezekiel 2:7, 3:17, Acts 20:20,26,27
but
7:24-27, Deuteronomy 29:19, Zechariah 7:11,12
Verse 22

Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
know
17, 43:11, Ezekiel 5:3,4, 6:11
in the
Hosea 9:6
to go and to sojourn
or, to go to sojourn.

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