성경 주석서

Now these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

Now these are the words of the letter. — Heb., Of the book. It is taken for any manner of writing, whether longer, as a book, or shorter, as a letter, an epistle, cuius ornamentum est ornamentis carere, saith Politian; the two chief commendations whereof, say others, are shortness and plainness. Here we have both, and should therefore highly prize it, not as apocryphal Baruch’s letter, but as parcel of holy writ, worthy of all acceptation.

Which were carried away captive. — And longed for deliverance; but are advised to have patience, and not to antedate the promises, which in their due time should be accomplished. As till then obediendum est etiam dyscolis, obedience must be yielded to the Babylonians, now their masters, and "not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward; for this is thankworthy." 1 Peter 2:18

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(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs. — Angusta et eunuchi. These eunuchs were chamberlains to queens; but not always so bold with them as Stephen the Persian presumed to be with the queen mother of the emperor Justinian II: quam flagellis sicuti servam castigavit whom he corrceted with a whip just as a servant. Func. See Jeremiah 24:1-2 .

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By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, … — Zedekiah, having heard by Hananiah the prophet, that within two full years Jeconiah and the captives should come back to Jerusalem, and knowing that if that should be so, he must give place and part with his royal dignity, sendeth an embassy to Nebuchadnezzar to show his obsequiousness, and is content that his messenger should carry Jeremiah’s letters (of whom, haply, he had a better conceit after the death of Hananiah) to those of the captivity, to persuade them to live quietly in Babylon, and not yet to think of returning to his disturbance. Calvin.

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Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

Thus saith the Lord of hosts. — It was God, then, that dictated this letter to the prophet; neither is it of private, that is, of human interpretation, but the holy man wrote it as he was moved thereunto by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:20-21

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Build ye houses, and dwell [in them]; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

Build ye houses, and dwell in them. — Mitigate the extremity of your captivity, which is likely to be long, by all honest means. Levius fit patientia quicquid corrigere est nefas; patience, as a paring knife, cutteth the cross less and less till it comes to nothing. It teacheth a man, in case he cannot bring his estate to his mind, to bring his mind to his estate, and that is as well; but impatiens quisque bis affligitur; the bullock under the yoke gets nothing by wriggling but galling.

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Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

Take ye wives, and beget sons. — First get ye houses and gardens, and then take wives. So in the last commandment house is set before wife; and nature teacheth the birds to build their nests before they come together for copulation.

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And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

And seek the peace of the city. — Do not tumultuate or seek to break prison, as those seedsmen of sedition, your false prophets, would persuade you, but frame to a peaceable and patient behaviour. "In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" Isaiah 30:15

And pray unto God for it, — sc., That in it you may "lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all godliness and honesty." 1 Timothy 2:2 Christians should improve their waiting months upon the King of saints, to pray for kings and all that are in authority, though to them they had been tyrants, since it seemeth good to God that they should live under them. The Dutch have a proverb,

“ Arbor honoretur, cuius nos umbra tuetur. ”

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For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that [be] in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

Let not your prophets and your diviners. — Your deceivers, indeed, which were also in Babylon as well as at Jerusalem; for all places are full of them, aud so is hell too. But "beware of these dogs, beware of evil workers"; Philippians 3:2 three of them, the most active, no doubt, are here noted and noticed Jeremiah 29:21 ; Jeremiah 29:23 with a charge in this text, Ne committitote ut decipiant vos; see that they deceive you not. The body should be kept, say physicians, in habitu athletico, in a vigorous and healthy temper, able to oppose infections. Think the same of the soul.

Neither hearken to your dreams. — "Yours," because you itch after them, listen to them, pay dearly for them.

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