The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
Jeremiah 49
Chapter XLIX · Vol. III, pp. 1293–1296
1 The judgment of the Ammonites. 6 Their restoration. 7 The judgment of Edom, 23 of Damascus, 28 of Kedar, 30 of Hazor, 34 and of Elam. 39 The restoration of Elam.
1 Concerning1 thea Ammonites, thus saith the LORD, Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their 2king binherit 3Gad, and his people cdwell in his cities?
B.C. cir. 604.
1 Or, against.
a ch.25.9,21. Eze.21.28; 25.2-10. Am.1.13-15. Zep.2.8-11.
A.M. cir. 3400. B.C. cir. 604.
2 Or, Melcom.
b Am.1.13, with 2 Ki.10.33; 15.29. 2 Ch.20.10.
3 Why do they seize on the country of the Gadites?
c Ps.9.6.
2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that dI will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her 4daughters shall be burned with fire: then eshall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs,5 saith the LORD.
* This prophecy refers to a time undoubtedly future; for the ten tribes, here called 'Israel,' never have returned to occupy their own land, nor to extend over the land of Ammon, as here foretold. But no title of inheritance can equal the promise of God; no power of man can render it ineffectual; Israel shall yet be planted and grow in his own land, and his boughs shall overshadow from the sea to the river.—C.
d Am.1.14. Eze.25.5. Zep.2.9,10.
4 Lesser cities, towns, and villages, ch.4.31; 6.2,23.
e Eze.25.14. Is.14.1-3. Ob.19. Re.11.15.
5 See note * in first column.
3 Howl,g O Heshbon; for hAi is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges:6 fori their king7 shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
g ch.48.5,31-46; 47.5; 5.8; 6.26. Is.32.11. Re.18.19.
h Not that Jos. viii.
6 Hiding themselves.
i ch.48.7; 46.25; 43.12. Am.1.15.
7 Or, Melcom, 1 Ki.11.5,33.
4 Whereforej gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley,8 Ok backsliding9 daughter? lthat trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?
† Perverse, refractory, rebellious. Ammon is so called, as the degenerate descendant of righteous Lot, and as a people fully warned by the instructions of the Jewish prophets.—C.
j ch.46.20; 48.29. Is.28.1,4. Pr.11.4. Is.47.7,8. Eze.29.3. ch.51.1.
8 Or, thy valley, or fruitful soil, floweth away.
k ch.7.24. Ho.4.16. 2 Ti.3.13.
9 See note † in first column.
l ch.48.7. Ps.52.7; 49.6. Pr.10.15. Is.47.8. Re.18.7. ch.21.13.
5 Behold, nI will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye oshall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall pgather up him that wandereth.
6 And qafterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.
q See on ch.48.47; ver.39.
7 Concerningr Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts, Is wisdom no more in sTeman?1 is tcounsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
r Is.21.11; 34.5,6; 63.1. Eze.25.8,12-14; xxxv. Am.1.11,12. Joel 3.19. Ob.1-21. Mal.1.3,4. ch.25.9,21.
s Ob.8. Is.21.11,12. Job 4.1. Am.1.12. Hab.3.3.
1 Most probably the chief seat of learning: in modern language, the most celebrated university of the time and country.—C.
t Job 5.12,13.
8 Fleeu ye, turn back,2 dwell 3deep,4 O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring vthe calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
u ver.30; ch.6.1. Mat.24.16. ch.48.6; 25.23.
2 Or, they are turned back.
3 Re.6.15. 1 Sa.13.6. Ju.6.2, i.e. in dens and caves, Is.2.19. ch.48.6,28.
4 Retire 'deep' into the deserts—as is customary in Arabia, during hostile invasions—or hide in the secret dens and caves, natural or artificial, with which the mountains still abound, see ver.10.—C.
v Mal.1.3,4.
9 If xgrape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have 5enough.
10 But I have made Esau ybare, I have uncovered his zsecret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his aseed is spoiled, and his brethren,6 and his neighbours, and he is 7not.
12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, cthey whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall daltogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
c ch.25.29, &c.; xxxix. lii. 1 Pe.4.17,18. Ob.16.
d ch.30.11; 25.28,29; 46.28. Ob.16.
13 For I have esworn by myself, saith the LORD, that gBozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.8
e Am.6.8.
g Is.34.6; 63.1. Am.1.12. Mal.1.3,4. ver.17-22, with Is.34.9-15. Eze.35.3-15; 25.13,14. Joel 3.19. Ob.18.
8 The 'Bozrah' here mentioned is different from that spoken of above in connection with Moab. The latter was situated in the plain, near the southern end of the mountain chain of Bashan, and became, under the name Bostra, the capital of the Roman province. Bozrah of Edom stood on the summit of the mountain range between Kerak and Petra, and was a very strong fortress. It is now called Buseireh.—P.
14 I have heard a hrumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.
h Eze.7.25,26. Ob.1. ch.50.9-21; 51.11,27,28. Is.13.2,3; 18.3. ch.25.9; ver.28.
16 Thyk terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock,9 that holdest the height of the hill: lthough thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
17 Alson Edom shall be a desolation; every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
n ch.18.16. Is.34.9-15. Eze.25.13,14; 35.3-15. Joel 3.19. Ob.18. ch.50.13. Mal.1.3,4. ch.25.9,10.
18 Aso in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
o De.29.23. Ge.19.24,25. ch.50.40. Is.13.19. Am.4.11. Zep.2.9. ver.33. Jude 7. 2 Pe.2.6. Job 18.15-17. Ps.11.6.
19 Behold, he shall come up plike a lion1 from qthe swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away 2from her;3 and who is ra chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for swho is like me? and who will appoint me the time?4 and who is tthat shepherd5 that will ustand before me?
p ch.25.9,32,38; 27.3,6,8; 4.7; 5.6; 50.44; 8.16. Zec.11.3.
1 When the Jordan overflows its banks, the lions, driven from the jungles, and deprived of their usual prey, invade and infest the interior of the country.—C.
q Jos.3.15. 1 Ch.12.15. ch.12.5.
2 Or, upon her, 1 Ki.9.5.
3 'Yet swiftly shall he return from it with spoil.'—Boothroyd.
r ch.25.9; 27.6,8, with Ex.15.11.
s Is.40.25.
4 Or, convent me in judgment, Job 41.10. ch.50.44,45.
t ch.25.34-36. Zec.11.3,8,17.
5 That shepherd. What military leader can resist my power?—C.
u Na.1.6. 1 Co.10.22. Ps.76.7. Re.6.15-17.
20 Therefore hear the vcounsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of xTeman: surely 6the least of the flock7 shall draw them out;8 surely he yshall make their habitations desolate with them.
v Ps.33.11.
x Job 6.19,20.
6 The weakest Chaldean, ch.50.45; 37.10. Zec.4.6. 1 Co.1.27.
7 The weakest soldier in the army of Nebuchadnezzar.—C.
8 Shall 'draw them out' from their dwellings in the rock, as dogs draw out animals from their holes.—C.
y See ver.13,17,18. Mal.1.3,4.
21 Thez earth is moved at the noise of their fall; at the cry, the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.9
z Eze.26.15,18; 31.16; 32.10. Re.11.13; 18.10.
9 Heb. Weedy sea.
22 Behold, he shall come up and afly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be bas the heart of a woman in her pangs.
23 Concerningc Damascus: Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings; they are 1faint-hearted:2 there is sorrow on the sea;3 it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is dwaxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
d See ver.8,22. Ps.48.6.
26 Therefore4 herg young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a hfire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of iBen-hadad.
i 1 Ki.15.28. 2 Ki.13.3.
28 Concerningj Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms5 of kHazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD, lArise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men nof the east.6
j Is.21.13-17. ch.25.9,23,24.
5 The country was governed by chieftains of tribes, and their authority being supreme, their districts, however narrow, are called kingdoms.—C.
l ver.14,31; ch.6.4,5; 50.14-16,21. Is.13.2-5.
n Ju.6.3. Job 1.3. Ge.25.6,18. Is.11.14.
6 'Arise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the Bene-Kedem.' The Bene-Kedem, 'Sons of the East,' were the nomad inhabitants of Kedar or Arabia. They are here connected with Damascus because in it they trafficked—bartering their wool for corn and other necessaries of life. 'The kingdoms of Hazor' appear to have been those territories south of Damascus, and bordering on Arabia, which were for a time under the rule of Hazor. The people spoken of were all nomad shepherds, whose entire property consisted of tents, flocks, and herds.—P.
29 Theiro tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, pFear is on every side.
30 Flee,q get you far off,7 dwell deep,8 O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for rNebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation,9 that sdwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which tdwell alone.
9 Or, that is at ease.
s Ju.18.7,27. Is.47.8. Zep.2.15. Eze.30.9; 38.11. Is.32.9,10.
32 And their camels ushall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and vI will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners;1 and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the LORD.
33 And Hazorx shall be a dwelling for 2dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
x ch.9.11; 10.22; 51.37. Is.13.20-22; 34.11-15. Zep.2.9,13-15. Mal.1.3,4.
2 Rather 'jackals,' which abound in the desolate cities of eastern Syria. The site of the Hazor here mentioned is unknown. There were many towns of the same name in the country.—P.
34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against 3Elam,4 in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
36 And upon Elam will I bring zthe four winds5 from the four quarters of heaven, and willa scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37 For bI will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I cwill send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
38 And I will set my throne6 in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
6 Of just vengeance, Da.7.9,11, or ch.1.15; 43.10; 27.6,7.
39 Butd it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.7
d ch.48.47; ver.6. 2 Ch.36.23. Ezr.1.1. Ac.1.9.
7 The Elamites it is now impossible to distinguish by name; but many tribes of foreigners, whose original countries are unknown, are to be found in various quarters of the world—of whom the people called 'gipsies' are best known in Europe. But by whatever name the original Elamites are now known, or wheresoever they may now be captive, God gives them promise of restoration, which, after the example of his promise to the Jews, seems to indicate, not merely conversion to the gospel, but a return to their ancient dwellings.—C.
Notes
Ver. 19, 20. Behold, Nebuchadnezzar shall invade your country, as furious as a lion driven from his den by the swelling of Jordan. He shall attack your strongest cities; and, acting under the direction and influence, of all-embracing ambition and desire for glory he shall, without control, ravage your whole country.
Ver. 1. Why then doth their king inherit Gad? Rather, 'Why doth' Milcom 'inherit Gad?' Milcom was the chief idol of the Ammonites; see 1 Ki. 11. 5. The Gadites were carried captive into Assyria (2 Ki. 15. 29; 1 Ch. 5. 26), when, it is most probable, the Ammonites took possession of the vacant country. C.
Ver. 12. Whose judgment was not to drink. In every national calamity there is a number of the godly who suffer with the ungodly; and whom, though God may preserve, he yet severely tries by the judgments that fall upon their relatives and friends. See Eze. 14. 12-23. And thus it comes to pass that they 'whose (personal) judgment was not to drink,' have often 'assuredly drunken;' of which fact Jeremiah himself was a striking example, having drunk deeper than any of the bitter cup of his country's and his church's sorrow. C.
Ver. 16. Clefts of the rock. The land of Edom, or Idumea, is a country of lofty and precipitous rocks. The ruins of its proud and magnificent capital still remain; and language cannot express the astonishment of such travellers as have been able to explore them. The temples, mausoleums, and private dwellings, all excavated in 'the clefts of the rock,' give evidence of riches and labour to which no modern works in Europe afford any parallel. See Keith's Evidence of Prophecy, and Finden's Illustrations. Yet the once swarming city is desolate, 'neither doth a son of man dwell in it,' ver. 18. C.
Ver. 31. Have neither gates nor bars. Those Arabians who were rich in flocks, still the only riches of many countries, and who, dwelling in tents, had literally neither gates nor bars. Their deserts were their bulwarks; but judgment is now denounced, and they shall no longer escape the just punishment of their sins—pastoral luxury, covetousness, and robbery—which (at least the two last) still remain both the sin and the punishment of their descendants. C.
Reflections.—With strict jealousy God remarks the injuries done to his distressed people. And in very different forms he plagues and terrifies them who had plagued and terrified his saints; while the losses of the injured are repaid out of the unjust gains of the injurers. It is therefore vain for backsliders from God to indulge pleasure, or to trust in any created enjoyment. When God lays countries desolate, widows and children are peculiarly miserable. O how great is the kindness of God, that invites such to be trusted to his care! But it is impossible to avert or withstand his angry blow, since he can make his weakest instruments too brave and valiant for the mightiest opposer, and can pull men from the strongest fortifications. And if his dearer favourites or persons less guilty be punished, it is in vain for us to hope for an escape. Yea, if he continue his hand on us, we can never recover from our ruins, but must be dreadful and lasting monuments of his justice.—All earthly joy, pomp, power, or bravery in the day of his wrath, do but render our ruin more dreadful. Nor can the most securely situated or the most inoffensive escape from his anger. The most retired are forced into the open world, and made to share in the common misery. And God often wonderfully debases nations before he signally advances them.