Old Testament Commentary - Jeremiah 39

by Don R. Hender

Chapter 39 is an account of the seige and destruction of Jerusalem. in the period of the seige, the particulars of the imprisonment of Jeremiah the prophet during that time are covered in chapters 37, 32, 33, and 38 in that order. Jeremiah was first imprisoned by the Sarim in the prison of the Sarim, Jonathan's prison during the interim where the Chaldeans broke of and went to defeat the Egyptians in the desert. That is when Jeremiah was taken and placed in prison when he sought to leave Jerusalem for his own home land in the province of Benjamin. After that initial imprisonment, the full forces of King Nebuchadnezzar come back to place Jerusalem under none ending seige for the time period set out in this chapter and in the parallel account recorded in 1 Kings 25. During this continuous siege Jeremiah is removed from Jonathan's prison by King Zedekiah to the prison of the king (32-33) and then toward the end of the seige before Jerusalem falls, the Sarim prevail and Jeremiah is moved back to Jonathan's prison, being placed in the prison's sewer dungeon pit. And finally Jeremiah is preserved, by the intervention of the king as he was notified by the Ethiopian Ebed-melech, who saves Jeremiah's life. And Jeremiah is returned to the king's prison for the final days before Jerusalem falls.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

Jerusalem is taken and the people cativated—Jeremiah and Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, are preserved.

1 In the ^aninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar ^bking of Babylon and all his army against ^cJerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.
3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle ^agate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

4 ¶ And it came to pass, that when ^aZedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook ^aZedekiah in the ^bplains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he ^cgave judgment upon him.

6 Then the king of Babylon ^aslew the ^bsons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah^a.
7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's ^aeyes, and bound ^bhim with chains, to carry him to Babylon.
6^a the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah These where the ruling priests and princes of the Jews. It would seem from the parallel account recorded in 2 Kings 25, that of the '70' ruling princes of the Elder of Israel only 60 or threescore men of the poeple had survived until the end as described in 2 Kings 25:18-21.

8 ¶ And the ^aChaldeans ^bburned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and ^cbrake down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that ^afell to him, with the rest of the people that remained.
10 But ^aNebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

11 ¶ Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah^a to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 Take him, and ^alook well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
11^a Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah One must stop and consider what it was for the King of Babylon to particularly see to the welfare of one man, Jeremiah, God's prophet. Certainly Nebuchadnezzar was under the advisement of his high Jewish advisors with Daniel being chief among them. And while the king of Babylon did not adopt the God of the Jews as his own God, he did reverence him because of such as Daniel and others who had earned hign positon in his courts in Babylon. Thus was Jeremiah's life, God's prophet, preserved.

13 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, and all the king of Babylon's princes;
14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto ^aGedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

15 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy ^alife shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
Jerusalem is taken and the people cativated—Jeremiah and Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, are preserved.
1 In the ^aninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar ^bking of Babylon and all his army against ^cJerusalem, and they besieged it. 2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle ^agate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 ¶ And it came to pass, that when ^aZedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain. 5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook ^aZedekiah in the ^bplains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he ^cgave judgment upon him.
6 Then the king of Babylon ^aslew the ^bsons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah^a. 7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's ^aeyes, and bound ^bhim with chains, to carry him to Babylon.	6^a the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah These where the ruling priests and princes of the Jews. It would seem from the parallel account recorded in 2 Kings 25, that of the '70' ruling princes of the Elder of Israel only 60 or threescore men of the poeple had survived until the end as described in 2 Kings 25:18-21.
8 ¶ And the ^aChaldeans ^bburned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and ^cbrake down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that ^afell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 10 But ^aNebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
11 ¶ Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah^a to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying, 12 Take him, and ^alook well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.	11^a Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah One must stop and consider what it was for the King of Babylon to particularly see to the welfare of one man, Jeremiah, God's prophet. Certainly Nebuchadnezzar was under the advisement of his high Jewish advisors with Daniel being chief among them. And while the king of Babylon did not adopt the God of the Jews as his own God, he did reverence him because of such as Daniel and others who had earned hign positon in his courts in Babylon. Thus was Jeremiah's life, God's prophet, preserved.
13 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; 14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto ^aGedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.
15 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16 Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. 17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy ^alife shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.